Steps ahead: Frank Ruggiero named interim Af-Pak envoy

Holbrooke's deputy takes over but the envoy's death may impede Afghan solution.

ISLAMABAD: Richard Holbrooke’s  deputy Frank Ruggiero has been named as his successor and the acting US envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan,according to the US State Department. But the death of veteran US diplomat Richard Holbrooke is likely to affect efforts aimed at finding a political solution to the Afghan impasse, albeit temporarily, say analysts and officials.

At the time of his death, 69-year-old Holbrooke was President Barack Obama’s point-man for Pakistan and Afghanistan, where the US-led Nato troops are engaged in what appears to be a never-ending battle. The passing of Holbrooke is likely to leave a gap that will not be easy to fill, such was the man’s influence on regional leaders. The Washington Post quoted family members as saying that as Holbrooke was sedated for surgery, his final words were to his Pakistani surgeon: “You’ve got to stop this war in Afghanistan.”

Obama’s key aide for the region passed away just a week ahead of the administration’s plans to make public the crucial review for Pakistan and Afghanistan.

“Holbrooke’s untimely death is certainly a setback for the Obama administration,” said Professor Ishtiaq Ahmed, who teaches international relations at Islamabad’s Quaid-e-Azam University.

For the last two years, Holbrooke had led the daunting task of pushing Kabul and Islamabad to work together against al Qaeda and Taliban militants. He favoured reconciliation efforts to find an end to bloodshed in Afghanistan.

Pakistani officials also believe his successor will need time to grapple with issues confronting this part of the world. “Ambassador Holbrooke had developed a rapport with Pakistani officials,” said a Foreign Office official.

He now had a better understanding of not only our strategic concerns but also our energy needs and other economic matters, the official, who had frequently interacted with Holbrooke, added.

President Asif Ali Zardari described him as a key player in international diplomacy, saying he was “both a friend of the nation and a personal friend.”

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also paid glowing tribute to the veteran diplomat.

Ruggiero joined US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at a National Security Council meeting on Tuesday at the White House that focused on the annual review of Afghanistan policy, State Department spokesperson Philip Crowley said.

Ruggiero became Holbrooke’s deputy in July 2010 after serving as the senior US civilian representative for southern Afghanistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 15^th, 2010.