Diplomat Richard Holbrooke, in a State critical (Reuters)

Department of State Special Representative for the Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke spoke, Reuters Washington Summit in New York, 21 September 2010.

Credit: Reuters/Brendan McDermidBy Missy Ryan

WASHINGTON | Saturday, December 11, 2010 3: 07 pm EST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Richard Holbrooke, Special Envoy of President Barack Obama the Afghanistan and Pakistan was in critical condition Saturday after doctors performed surgery to repair a tear in its aortic, said the State Department.

The 69-year veteran U.S. diplomat, who negotiated the agreement of 1995, put an end to the war in the Balkans has been a key player in the efforts of Obama turn around failing 9 years war in Afghanistan, where violence has elapsed and less 477 u.s. soldiers have been killed this year alone.

Holbrooke fell ill in the Department of State, on Friday and was admitted to hospital from the George Washington University nearby.

"This morning, completed surgery to repair a tear in its aortic doctors" of the State Department said in a statement Saturday. "It is in a critical condition and was joined by his family."

A tear in the major artery of the body - called aortic dissection - is a painful and life-threatening condition which has the potential complications such as stroke, heart attack and kidney failure, according to Mr. Duke Cameron, head of Baltimore's Johns Hopkins Hospital Cardiac surgery.

Recovery leads to often a week at the hospital and another three to four months for full recovery, said Cameron, who is not one of the physicians on the Holbrooke.

An extended for Holbrooke absence might be a blow to efforts to achieve rapid progress in Afghanistan next year when Washington hopes Obama begins to put Afghan forces at the head and start bringing u.s. troops in July.

A frequent visitor to the Afghanistan and Pakistan, Holbrooke has contact with the leaders of the region, while at home, he sought to allay concerns in Congress United States to war.

Sudden illness of the Holbrooke comes just before the White House is planned for next week an assessment of the renewed strategy for both troubled countries Obama unveiled a year ago.

The review should conclude that despite the entrenched corruption and weak governance, forces of United States and NATO are making progress on security across the Afghanistan. The review will stop not any significant change in the strategy.

"MORE DIFFICULT".

The aorta carries blood from the heart to other parts of the body. Leaving the heart, the aorta goes back through the chest toward the head and then bends and descends through the chest and the abdomen.

"Half of the people (a tear aorta) he will die within 48 hours if there is no treatment for it," Cameron said in a telephone interview. "Even those who go to surgery, dying in room operation or a shortly after 20 or 25 percent chance."

With a career that has held the positions listed in the Viet Nam as well as serve as the top U.S. for Asia, Europe and the Organization of the United Nations diplomat most remarkable achievements of the Holbrooke has been bringing all parties in the conflict in Bosnia at the table of negotiations on an airbase in Dayton, Ohio. The 1995 Dayton agreements resulting has ended the conflict.

Holbrooke, who worked as Executive in finance when not at the State Department, said that a candidate for Secretary of State before the work went to Hillary Clinton.