Pakistan's Zardari, Georgia's Saakashvili To Attend Holbrooke Memorial Service

Richard Holbrooke

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili are among the dignitaries expected to attend a memorial service today in Washington honoring Richard Holbrooke, the veteran U.S. diplomat who died in December.

The service is also expected to be attended by U.S. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Holbrooke died at the age of 69 on December 13 after suffering a torn aorta.

At the time of his death, he was serving as the Obama administration's envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

In a five-decade-long diplomatic career, he was also known for helping negotiate the 1995 accords that ended the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

U.S. officials said Pakistani President Zardari will hold a separate meeting with President Obama on the sidelines of the Holbrooke memorial to discuss U.S. cooperation on Pakistani economic reform, democracy, and counterterrorism efforts.

compiled from agency reports