Johan J. Holst; Led PLO-Israel Peace Talks

Johan Jorgen Holst, the Norwegian foreign minister who led secret talks that forged the Israel-PLO peace accord and who pledged to pursue peace “as long as there is life in me,” died Thursday after a stroke.

Holst, 56, was discovered dead in his hospital bed after suffering his second stroke in two months. He had been foreign minister for less than 10 months.

Israeli and PLO leaders mourned Holst’s death and praised his contribution to their historic agreement for limited Palestinian self-rule in the Gaza Strip and Jericho area of the West Bank. The accord was signed Sept. 13, but the Israeli withdrawal has been delayed by disputes over control of borders and security of Jewish settlers.

“The moment he entered the peace process, it was in the center of his life until his last breath,” Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said of Holst’s role in bringing the sides together. “The entire nation of Israel bows its head to the memory of this man.”

PLO leader Yasser Arafat called Holst “a great peacemaker who engraved the name of Norway in the book of world peace.” He promised to name a street and square in Jericho after Holst, the PLO news agency Wafa said.

Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin also praised Holst, saying he laid the foundations for Middle East peace.

“His contribution and role in the efforts for peace will be a beacon for us in the continuation of the effort to bring an end to war and bloodshed,” Rabin said in a condolence message.

U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher, in Moscow for the U.S.-Russia summit, issued a statement expressing “deepest sorrow” at Holst’s death.

“Mr. Holst’s contributions to world peace were historic,” Christopher said. “His personal commitment to reconciliation and peace in the Middle East will stand as a work of hope and life for the people of the region.”

Holst was first hospitalized in November for exhaustion, after hectic months of travel and work during the negotiations, which were held in Norway.

He was hospitalized again after suffering a stroke in December that affected his ability to walk and speak.

Norwegians were surprised when Holst, a former defense minister, was named foreign minister in April. He was not known for his political savvy, and many doubted that his talents would measure up to those of Thorvald Stoltenberg, his predecessor who resigned to become a U.N. negotiator for the former Yugoslavia.

The son of a shipwreck investigator, Holst studied Russian in military college and was a research fellow at Harvard University in 1961. He studied political science at Columbia University in New York and the University of Oslo, graduating in 1965. He was a visiting professor at Carleton University in Ottawa in 1970.

In addition to his wife and their son, Holst is survived by four children from his first marriage.