February 24, 1996
Web posted at: 1:55 p.m. EST (1855 GMT)
From Correspondent Ralph Begleiter
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. diplomat credited with brokering the Bosnia peace accords left his government job this week to return to private life in New York.
But Ambassador Richard Holbrooke is not likely to disappear
from public view.
Obtaining the signatures of the Serb, Muslim and Croat leaders is the crowning achievement of Holbrooke's diplomatic career ... so far. It resulted in a stop to the fighting, and the deployment of nearly 60,000 NATO troops in the largest military operation in the alliance's history.
"Thanks to the valiant strivings of (Holbrooke) and his Dayton team, we have stopped the brutal war in Bosnia," said U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry. (198K AIFF sound or 198K WAV sound)
Although Secretary of State Warren Christopher and President
Bill Clinton each weighed in with their political clout to
clinch the deal, it is Holbrooke who gets the credit from
them -- and nearly everyone else -- for being the architect
of the Bosnia accords.
"Every bullet not fired, every grave not dug, is a testament to the service rendered by (Holbrooke)," Christopher said. (79K AIFF sound or 79K WAV sound)
"Bosnia is the ball game for United States policy in Europe. Failure is unthinkable."
-- Ambassador Richard Holbrooke (135K AIFF sound or 135K WAV sound)
The effort, Holbrooke said, was well worth it. "Bosnia is the ball game for United States policy in Europe," he said. "Failure is unthinkable."
But just as his Bosnia agreement is being carried out,
Holbrooke is leaving government, fulfilling a promise made to
his wife. He is returning to the investment banking world in
New York.
Some U.S. diplomatic insiders and international affairs analysts expect Holbrooke might return to government, perhaps replacing Christopher as Secretary of State if Clinton is re- elected. But his return would be politically possible only if the Bosnia peace he negotiated endures beyond the withdrawal of U.S. troops at the end of this year.
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