Thomas Klestil: Austria's President Thomas Klestil, who died this week of a heart attack, aged 71, was two days short of leaving office after two six-year terms as head of state.
His predecessor, who outlives him, was Kurt Waldheim whose term had been blighted by diplomatic isolation following revelations of his wartime Nazi role. After the general election in 1999, Klestil also had to contend with renewed international censure of Austria caused by the emergence of the right-wing leader, Joerg Haider.
Well respected, but never genuinely popular, Klestil was an honourable man who worked hard both to improve Austria's image in the world and also to persuade Austrians to be more outward-looking and more involved in world affairs. But he felt frustrated by his inability to play a larger role in Austria's foreign policy, and found it difficult to come to terms with the limitations of his largely ceremonial duties.
This became obvious when he failed in 2000 to prevent the formation of a coalition government that included Haider's Freedom Party. Moreover, as Austria's political stage is small, personal relationships among its leaders are public knowledge: tensions between Klestil and his chancellor, Wolfgang Schuessel, were well known and little love was lost between the foreign minister, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, and Mr Klestil's second wife, Margot Loeffler, who holds a senior post in the foreign ministry.
Klestil was tall and straight as a rod. Born in Vienna, he moved away from his working-class background to become a career diplomat. A "high-flier", he held a series of important posts in the United States including ambassador in Washington. Klestil saw it as one of his duties to keep in touch with Austrian emigres and tried to restore their confidence in Austria. In 1987, he returned to Vienna, to head the foreign ministry.
Austrian diplomats are allowed to have party affiliations and, in 1992, Klestil emerged as the conservative Austrian People's Party's candidate for the presidency.
It flattered his not inconsiderable ego. But he was also motivated by a desire to restore Austria's good name after all the controversies that had swirled around Kurt Waldheim.
After his election, he made it his prime goal to reinforce the efforts of Austria's chancellor Vranitzky, and his successor Viktor Klima, to restore Austria's credibility.
He used the prestige of his office to make numerous speeches about Austria's moral responsibility for its behaviour during the Nazi era and made a memorable trip to Israel, where he acknowledged in the Knesset Austria's role in the Holocaust.
During Klestil's first term, his affair with Margot Loeffler became common knowledge. This led, in 1994, to a bitter divorce when his wife of 37 years left him. Klestil, undeterred, presented himself for re-election in 1998, and again won with a respectable majority. Shortly afterwards, he married Margot Loeffler, who nevertheless decided to continue with her diplomat's career. She reinforced his desire to play a more active role in foreign affairs. Ideally, he would like to have fulfilled the same role that the French president manages in France, but the Austrian constitution does not give the head of state such powers. Klestil's foreign policy ambitions frequently came to a head when it came to decisions of participation in EU summits.
Frequently, there was a clash between the foreign minister and the president as to who should travel where.
In 1994, Klestil arrived, uninvited, at the EU summit in Corfu, when Austria took its place as a newly admitted member-state. He caused huge embarrassment by insisting on participating at the dinner. But it was the chancellor who signed the accession treaty.
Not all Klestil's foreign endeavours were questioned. His commitment to enlargement of the EU reinforced the government during the negotiations; and his outreach to eastern European neighbours was highly valued.
But his second term was most noteworthy for his efforts to block Joerg Haider. After the election late in 1999, the chancellor-elect, Schuessel, proposed a coalition between his party, the Austrian People's Party, and Haider's Freedom Party. Klestil anticipated that such a coalition would plunge Austria once again into a crisis with its allies. He insisted that both Schuessel and Haider sign a declaration of commitment to democracy, human rights and loyal membership of the EU.
In 2000, he swore in the new government, looking stern and disapproving. EU sanctions followed and, once again, Klestil set about trying to repair the damage to Austria's standing. He may not have been among the best known heads of state in recent times. But he fought a good fight, and if Austria is today a respected nation it owes at least some of it to Thomas Klestil's efforts.
He is survived by his wife, and a daughter and two sons from his previous marriage.
Thomas Klestil: born November 4th, 1932; died July 6th, 2004