Thomas Klestil
Thomas
Klestil (1932-2004) was an Austrian diplomat, ambassador to the United Nations
in New York and
president of Austria. He was
born in Vienna and
obtained a Ph.D. from the College of World
Trade in 1957. In 1959 he was assigned to
the OEEC (later OECD). From 1962 to 1966 he served as Attaché at the Austrian
Embassy in Washington, D.C.
After returning to Vienna in 1966,
he joined the staff of Austrian Federal Chancellor Dr. Josef Klaus. In 1969 he
was responsible for establishing the Austrian Consulate General in Los
Angeles. From 1974 on Dr. Klestil played a key
role in bringing important UN organizations to Vienna. After 
serving
as Ambassador to the United Nations in New
York in 1978, he was Ambassador to the United
States for five years from
1982 on. Of the thirty-five years in his diplomatic career, eighteen were spent
in the United States. This
long period of diplomatic service abroad greatly influenced his later
presidential career as Austrian Federal President.
During his term in office (1992-2004) Klestil pursued
his goal of being 'someone who unites and not divides.' He made 130 state
visits to foreign countries - more than any other Austrian Federal President.
Some of these visits were considered ground-breaking. He was, for example, the
first Austrian Federal President to visit Israel and
openly express sympathy for the victims of the Holocaust. In the words of
Israeli President, Moshe Katzav, "the legacy of brotherhood and
reconciliation that President Klestil left behind might be carried on in Austria and the
rest of the world." U.S. President George W. Bush said: "As a man
dedicated to freedom and human dignity, and as president, he was a committed
and eloquent advocate of these values."
Dr.
Klestil embraced openness with all groups within Austria’s
population. He was candid about his past life - a man from modest beginnings,
son of a streetcar operator who became Federal President. On his seventieth
birthday, he spoke proudly of the possibilities that Austria offered
to all of its citizens.
The photo shows Secretary-General Kofi Annan (right) meeting with Dr. Thomas Klestil in
Palermo on 11 December 2000. In the centre is Pino Arlacchi, Executive Director
of the UN Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention in Vienna (UN Photo #EDD309 by Eskinder Debebe).
His death
on 6 July 2004 (photo:
reef from Russian president Putin) was unexpected. He died in office, two days
before the end of his second, six-year term. Voices worldwide have expressed
their grief over the loss of a statesman with extraordinary capabilities as a
mediator. Dr. Klestil was held in high esteem for his role as an advocate and
supporter of European unity and for his special commitment to the integration
of Eastern European states into the European Union.
Stamp catalogue
Austria 31 October 1997
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last revised: 4 February 2008