Washington, DC -- Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY-17) issued the following statement following the passing of Ambassador Richard Holbrooke on Monday, December 13, 2010.

“I am deeply saddened by the loss of Ambassador Holbrooke, a man who was a diplomat extraordinaire.  His impact on the world has been felt in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and beyond.   There are few people who enter public service who have earned the title of statesman, but Ambassador Holbrooke was a true and honorable statesman.

“On a personal level, I am grateful for his leadership in bringing about peace in the Balkans following the crisis in the mid-1990s.  Millions of people in that region owe him a debt of gratitude for helping to bring an end to that conflict.  I worked very closely with him during those days, and he was instrumental in restoring peace in Albania, Bosnia, Croatia and throughout the region.  The independence of Kosovo is directly related to his leadership through those difficult times.  And I might add, I considered him to be a personal friend.

“I regret that Ambassador Holbrooke will not be able to lend his expertise any longer to the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan.  Even more regrettable is that his family has lost their loved one.  It is a small consolation for them to know that a nation, and a world, mourns with them.”

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