As delivered by Ambassador Ian Kelly
to the Permanent Council, Vienna
January 31, 2013
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
On behalf of my Mission, I wish to express our sadness at the passing of Max Kampelman, whose contributions to American and multilateral diplomacy remain a force for freedom and peace in our world. As our premier Ambassador to the CSCE during the Cold War, and subsequently as Counselor of the State Department and Chief Negotiator to the Nuclear and Space Arms talks, Ambassador Kampelman advanced with unmatched eloquence and effectiveness the precept that respect for human rights within nations is essential to cooperation and peace among nations.
Ambassador Kampelman’s leadership was instrumental to the successful negotiation of human rights commitments and democratic norms that continue to be our standards here at the OSCE. His contributions to arms control and international security ushered in a more stable, predictable geostrategic landscape. He never stopped working to control the threat posed by nuclear weapons, and he never stopped speaking out for the cause of human rights.
He set the standard for the practice of principled diplomacy, and he will be missed greatly. I am proud to have known him, and to have succeeded him in this position.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
