US ambassador mourns Holbrooke’s death

NEW DELHI - US Ambassador Timothy J. Roemer Tuesday paid glowing tributes to Richard Holbrooke, President Barack Obama’s point man for the Afghan-Pakistan region who passed away in Washington, calling him “a consummate diplomat”.

Holbrooke was “a tireless worker with boundless energy and dedication” who sought “to bring peace, stability, and prosperity to Afghanistan and Pakistan”, Roemer said in a statement.

He was also “a close friend who dedicated his almost 50 years of public service to bringing peace to the world”, Roemer said.

“(He) was relentless in pursuing peace for the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan, creative in finding solutions to insurmountable problems, and magnetic in bringing disparate people together to find common ground.

“The US has lost one of its great diplomats. The region has lost one of its great champions for peace. And the world has lost a great man.”