OSCE Secretary General expresses condolences over death of former OSCE official Didier Fau

VIENNA, 15 January 2008 - The OSCE Secretary General, Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, offered his condolences today to the family of Didier Fau, former Director of the Office of the Secretary General, who passed away yesterday.

"All of us who knew Didier will remember him for his energy, his enthusiasm, his professionalism, and perhaps most of all for his courage. I deeply regret his passing, and I hope his family can find some small comfort in the fact that so many of us at the OSCE Secretariat remember him with true affection and respect," said Perrin de Brichambaut.

Fau, a French national, was appointed Director of the Office of the Secretary General in May 2004 after a distinguished career in France and in the field. In Bosnia and Herzegovina he served as Deputy High Representative for Economic Affairs from 1996 to 1997, and as Director responsible for economic matters (Working Table II) in the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe from 1999 to 2001. He also served as the European Union's Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan in Kabul from 2002 to 2003.

Fau was a graduate of the Institut des Hautes Etudes de Defense Nationale with a doctorate in physics.

Fau left the OSCE Secretariat in July 2007 to return to France. He is survived by his wife Patricia and three children, Agnes, Julie and Marion.