Vienna
Just two days before the end of his final term, Austrian President Thomas Klestil suffered a fatal heart attack. Klestil, 71, was a widely respected diplomat who was once ambassador to the U.S. He is credited with restoring credibility to the largely ceremonial position of president after the controversial tenure of his predecessor, Kurt Waldheim, a former Nazi officer. Klestil, who served two six-year terms, was the first Austrian president to admit to his country’s share of responsibility for the Holocaust.
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