Brussels: They remembered him as "The Bulldozer", a US diplomat with such a forceful persona he could drag politicians, military brass and even warlords to the negotiating table in a quest for peace.
World leaders on Tuesday praised US envoy Richard Holbrooke for engineering the end of the 1992-1995 Bosnia war, Europe's bloodiest conflict since World War II, and for seeking to bring stability to war-torn Afghanistan.
On the other hand Taliban said it hoped that the death of Richard Holbrooke, the US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, would prompt the withdrawal of American troops.
Holbrooke's death in Washington after suffering a torn aorta "could have a didactic effect on the American strategists, teaching them many things to learn," a spokesman for the Afghan insurgents said in a statement emailed to a news agency.
World leaders on Tuesday praised US envoy Richard Holbrooke for engineering the end of the 1992-1995 Bosnia war, Europe's bloodiest conflict since World War II, and for seeking to bring stability to war-torn Afghanistan.
On the other hand Taliban said it hoped that the death of Richard Holbrooke, the US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, would prompt the withdrawal of American troops.
Holbrooke's death in Washington after suffering a torn aorta "could have a didactic effect on the American strategists, teaching them many things to learn," a spokesman for the Afghan insurgents said in a statement emailed to a news agency.
Even Holbrooke's main opponent in the war in Bosnia, Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, expressed "sadness and regret" over Holbrooke's unexpected death yesterday following surgery for a tear in his aorta.
Karadzic had been hoping to call Holbrooke to testify in his genocide trial.
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen paid tribute to Holbrooke's legendary diplomatic skills, saying he played an essential role in the 1995 Dayton Agreement that ended the Bosnian war and lauding his work in Afghanistan.
Karadzic had been hoping to call Holbrooke to testify in his genocide trial.
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen paid tribute to Holbrooke's legendary diplomatic skills, saying he played an essential role in the 1995 Dayton Agreement that ended the Bosnian war and lauding his work in Afghanistan.
As President Barack Obama's special envoy to Afghanistan, Holbrooke realized "that we sometimes have to defend our security by facing conflicts in distant places," Fogh Rasmussen said in a statement on Tuesday.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani leader Asif Ali Zardari also praised Holbrooke, who died at 69, though Holbrooke's style did not play as well with Karzai as it did with Balkan leaders.
Aides said Karzai considered the American envoy ignorant of Afghan culture. Perhaps as a result, Holbrooke played a less visible role in Afghanistan, with Sen John Kerry taking the main role in convincing Karzai to agree to a runoff election in 2009.
"We will always remember...his efforts for promoting peace and stability in our region, with a deep sense of appreciation and gratitude," Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said in Islamabad.
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said the world should be grateful to Holbrooke for his contribution to the international strategy in Afghanistan.
"We regret with all our heart that he will not be able to witness the success of the new strategy," Westerwelle said in Brussels.
Holbrooke earned the nickname "The Bulldozer" after he bullied warring Serbs, Croats and Muslims to agree to end the Bosnian war with sometimes risky diplomatic overtures.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani leader Asif Ali Zardari also praised Holbrooke, who died at 69, though Holbrooke's style did not play as well with Karzai as it did with Balkan leaders.
Aides said Karzai considered the American envoy ignorant of Afghan culture. Perhaps as a result, Holbrooke played a less visible role in Afghanistan, with Sen John Kerry taking the main role in convincing Karzai to agree to a runoff election in 2009.
"We will always remember...his efforts for promoting peace and stability in our region, with a deep sense of appreciation and gratitude," Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said in Islamabad.
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said the world should be grateful to Holbrooke for his contribution to the international strategy in Afghanistan.
"We regret with all our heart that he will not be able to witness the success of the new strategy," Westerwelle said in Brussels.
Holbrooke earned the nickname "The Bulldozer" after he bullied warring Serbs, Croats and Muslims to agree to end the Bosnian war with sometimes risky diplomatic overtures.
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