Senior U.S. officials visit critically ill Holbrooke in hospital following surgery

Senior U.S. officials visit critically ill Holbrooke in hospital following surgery

2010-12-12 08:29:15 GMT+7 (ICT)

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) -- Several senior U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, visited Ambassador Richard Holbrooke in hospital on Saturday.

Holbrooke, 69, was rushed to George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C. on Friday after he collapsed on the seventh floor of the U.S. State Department building. He underwent surgery on Saturday to repair a tear in his aorta and remains in a critical condition.

Among those who have visited him is Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) Admiral Michael Mullen and U.S. National Security Advisor Thomas Donilon.

Also on Saturday, President Barack Obama spoke with Holbrooke's wife Kati and told her that he and First Lady Michelle Obama are praying for Richard. "Richard Holbrooke is a towering figure in American foreign policy, a critical member of my Afghanistan and Pakistan team, and a tireless public servant who has won the admiration of the American people and people around the world," Obama said.

Holbrooke has served as President Barack Obama's special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan since January 2009. Before that, the veteran diplomat served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations between August 1999 and January 2001 under President Bill Clinton.

He also served in other capacities, but he is best known for helping broker the 1995 accord that ended the Balkans war.

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