Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, the first woman to hold that position in the U.S. government, died Wednesday at the age of 84, her family said in a statement.
Head of diplomacy between 1997 and 2001, in the government of Democratic President Bill Clinton, Madeleine Albright died of cancer, specify her relatives, who salute “a tireless defender of democracy and human rights”.
Madeleine Albright was “a passionate voice for freedom and democracy”, underlined for his part Bill Clinton, stressing that his death was “an immense loss for the world at a time when we most need the lessons of his life” .
In a press release, the former president paid tribute to some of his many fights, to “put an end to ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and Kosovo”, “support an expansion of NATO to the countries of Central Europe” or “reduce poverty level”. She led them, he says, without ever losing “her great sense of humor” or “her determination”.
Just before taking the helm of American diplomacy, Madeleine Albright had spent four years at the UN as United States Ambassador (1993-1997), where she left her mark, particularly during the intervention of NATO in Kosovo. At the same time, the Russian ambassador was a certain Sergei Lavrov… who has since become the head of Russian diplomacy and a very close ally of Vladimir Putin.
Russian President whom she accused of making a “historic error” a month ago to the day, in an opinion piece published by the New York Times.
” The American dream “
Born May 15, 1937 in Prague, Madeleine Albright is a polyglot refugee, who first fled Nazism by taking refuge in London in 1939 with her Jewish family.
Eleven years later, her relatives, who have meanwhile returned to Czechoslovakia, decide when the Communists take power there to emigrate to the United States, where brilliant studies will allow Madeleine Albright to access the highest steps of power. .
“She lived the American dream and helped others achieve it,” said former US President George W. Bush about this woman who speaks English, Czech, French and Russian in particular.
In 2001, just after the latter’s arrival at the White House, she created the “Albright Group”, an international strategy consulting firm based in Washington and which retains a significant influence on the international scene.
The current spokesman for American diplomacy, Ned Price, described his death as “shattering”. “She was a pioneer,” he said. “As the first female Secretary of State, she literally paved the way for much of our profession. »
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said she was “one of the most remarkable people” he had the privilege of working with, praising her “deep compassion for humanity”.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog hailed in a tweet “a feminist icon, an exceptional leader” and “a true friend of Israel”.
In April 2012, by awarding him the “Presidential Medal of Freedom”, the highest civilian decoration in the United States, Barack Obama praised his “courage and tenacity which made it possible to bring peace to the Balkans and opened the path to progress in some of the most unstable places in the world”