Statement on the Death of President Thomas Klestil of Austria

Laura and I offer our deepest condolences to the people of Austria and to the Klestil family on the death of President Thomas Klestil.

President Klestil was a distinguished statesman who had previously served as Austria's Ambassador to the United States and as Austria's Permanent Representative to the United Nations. President Klestil was well known in the United States as a man dedicated to freedom and human dignity, and as President he was a committed and eloquent advocate of these values. We join all the people of Austria in mourning his passing.