Richard Holbrooke was a colossus who brokered peace in flashpoints such as Bosnia, world leaders said, lauding the dogged negotiator who died in harness while working to end the Afghan conflict. US President Barack Obama led the tributes to the 69-year-old who died on Monday, calling him "a true giant of American foreign policy who has made America stronger, safer, and more respected.
"Tonight, there are millions of people around the world whose lives have been saved and enriched by his work," Obama, who tapped Holbrooke as his special envoy for Afghanistan in 2009, said in a statement. But with war still raging in Afghanistan, leaving Holbrooke's last mission unaccomplished, Afghan President Hamid Karzai, with whom he had strained relations, struck a more nuanced note, pointedly terming his death as "a loss for the American people".
The high-octane peace negotiator was a veteran diplomat who cut his teeth in Vietnam before going on to become assistant secretary of state for Asia and ambassador to Germany. Holbrook's crowning glory were the 1995 Dayton peace accords, which ended the three-year war in Bosnia. Dubbed "the bulldozer" for his hard-nosed style, Holbrooke alternately browbeat and cajoled the nationalist leaders of former Yugoslavia until a deal was struck between the belligerent parties in November 1995.
Former Croatian foreign minister Mate Granic, who was at the Dayton negotiations, said Holbrooke "was one of the greatest US diplomats of the past 20 years. "Holbrooke always set a clear goal. He was a good tactician, a great diplomat who knew how to use the power of the US," said Granic, who was foreign minister from 1993 until 2000.
And Hashim Thaci, the former guerrilla leader who is now Kosovo's prime minister, said the territory had lost an important friend who had always defended Pristina's interests. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke of a "sad day" for her and for the United States. "Tonight America has lost one of its fiercest champions and most dedicated public servants," Clinton said.
Holbrooke "served the country he loved for nearly half a century, representing the United States in far-flung war-zones and high-level peace talks, always with distinctive brilliance and unmatched determination." In a twist of fate, Holbrooke died almost 15 years to the day since the signing of the Dayton accords on December 14, 1995.
European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton praised Holbrooke as a "remarkable man, a true diplomat and a champion of peace and reconciliation, not just in Pakistan and Afghanistan, but throughout the world... "Europe will in particular remember his historic role in bringing peace to the Balkans. I am proud to have known Richard and privileged to have been his friend," she said in a statement.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said Holbrooke was an "indefatigable champion in the cause of peace, who worked tirelessly for a better world." Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, who worked closely with him and others to broker the Dayton accords, said the US diplomat played an "absolutely decisive" role in forging the pact.
Holbrooke faced perhaps his toughest challenge - pushing Kabul and Islamabad to work together against resurgent al Qaeda and Taliban militants - as Obama's special US envoy in the Afghan conflict. "Pakistan has lost a friend. He was an accomplished and experienced diplomat who quickly gained the confidence of his interlocutors," Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari said in an official statement.
Holbrooke was a "key player in international diplomacy to bring peace to Bosnia and in confronting militancy in our part of the world," Zardari added. France and Italy saluted him as a brilliant diplomat and a tireless campaigner for peace. In Kabul, General David Petraeus, the top US commander in Afghanistan, hailed Holbrooke as "a true titan in the diplomatic arena and a central figure in the effort in Afghanistan and Pakistan." His death is "a tragic loss" for the two countries "and our world," Petraeus said.