17 Feb 2011

UN / HOLBROOKE MEMORIAL

A memorial service was held at the UN General Assembly in honour of the late US diplomat Richard Holbrooke who died last December after doctors found a tear in his aorta. UNTV

Posted at: February 17, 2011 6:46 pm

Duration: 03:09

Available in: SD

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Full script

STORY: UN / HOLBROOKE MEMORIAL
TRT: 3:09
SOURCE: UNTV 
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 17 FEBRUARY 2011, UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK CITY

SHOTLIST:

1. Wide shot, General Assembly Hall
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Charlie Rose, Broadcast Journalist and Presenter:
"Kati will be the first to say that this is a celebration of Richard's life and friends and his service. This is not the first time we celebrated him nor will it be the last. We'll remember him for a long time."
3. Cutaway, Holbrooke's family
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General, United Nations:
"Not long ago, when floods were devastating Pakistan, I called him quite early in the day not realizing it was 1 a.m., local time. I told him that we needed help getting in relief supplies. Immediately, he was on the phone, calling everyone he knew inside and outside the country. Four hours later, at 5 a.m., he called back to say that everything was arranged. "Ambassador, do you never sleep?" I asked. The answer, obviously, was no: not when there was work to be done and lives to be saved. That was Richard Holbrooke."
5. Cutaway, audience
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Kati Marton, Richard Holbrooke's wife:
"Richard loved this house. His father brought when it was just a dream and a construction site. And the young boy was dazzled by the promise of such a house on the East River rising so soon after the end of war. A decade ago, Richard and I spent two years here and I think it was his happiest time."
7. Cutaway, Ban Ki-moon at audience
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Kati Marton, Richard Holbrooke's wife:
"Now at this point if Richard were here he would be signalling me from the audience "speed it up" or "slow it down." Or typically I would see him leaning into his neighbour, you all know that Holbrooke move, whispering behind his hand, prompting me to issue a stern reprimand from the podium. Or we had so much fun. He loved his country but not in any chest thumping way. He thought America had a big role and a big responsibility towards the rest of the world."

FILE – SEPTEMBER 1995, NEW YORK CITY

9. Various shots, Richard Holbrooke, US Ambassador Madeleine Albright and UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros Ghali meeting on Bosnia

FILE - 2001, NEW YORK CITY

10. Various shots, US Ambassador Richard Holbrooke hold a Security Council meeting on refugees

STORYLINE:

A memorial service was held today (17 Feb) at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in honour of the late United States (US) diplomat Richard Holbrooke who died last December after doctors found a tear in his aorta.

Broadcast journalist Charlie Rose opened the ceremony saying that people were gathered in "celebration of Richard's life and friends and his service.

Holbrooke, who died on 13 December at the age of 69, helped broker the 1995 Dayton agreement that ended the Bosnian war. More recently, he was US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Speaking after Rose, UN Secretary Ban Ki-moon recalled one of his last encounters with Holbrooke during last year's floods in Pakistan. He said that Holbrooke worked through the night to make sure that the much needed relief supplies were able to get into the country.

Addressing hundreds of guests gathered at the Hall, Holbrooke's wife Kati Marton said "Richard loved this house." She added that his term as the US Ambassador to the UN "was his happiest time."

Holbrooke's vast diplomatic experience also included a posting as US Ambassador to the UN from 1999 to 2001 under former President Bill Clinton.

She said "he thought America had a big role and a big responsibility towards the rest of the world."

During his tenure as the US Ambassador to the UN, Holbrooke is said to have put into practice his belief in the power of moral urgency, elevating HIV/AIDS to the global security agenda. He also forged a landmark agreement with the US Congress and the U N to eliminate US arrears to the UN.