NATO Press Release
(2010)163
14 December
2010
NATO Secretary General Statement on Richard
Holbrooke passing
I am
deeply saddened by the death of ambassador Richard Holbrooke, the
US special representative for
Afghanistan and
Pakistan. I extend my heartfelt
condolences to his family, the US government and the
American people.
I pay
tribute to his diplomatic skills, strategic vision and legendary
determination. As the architect
of the 1995 Dayton Agreement, Ambassador Holbrooke played a key role in ending
the war in Bosnia, the most
terrible tragedy on European
soil since World War II.
At the end
of his long and distinguished career, he travelled tirelessly to
Afghanistan and
Pakistan in pursuit of peace and
stability in the region. He knew that history is unpredictable; that we
sometimes have to defend our security by facing conflicts in distant places; and
that the transatlantic alliance remains indispensible.
End of mail