August 1, 2005
| Public Affairs | Media Relations | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E-mail: | publicaffairs@imf.org | E-mail: | media@imf.org | |
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Mr. Rodrigo de Rato, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), issued the following statement today on the death of
Wim Duisenberg, the first president of the European Central Bank:
"I was distressed to learn of the sudden death of Wim Duisenberg, a longtime colleague and friend. Mr. Duisenberg, a former IMF staff member who went on to serve as Dutch finance minister and as head of the Dutch central bank, was an outstanding public servant with an accomplished career. I came to respect him highly as a colleague during the five years we shared at ECOFIN meetings. He had a unique and effective style—a mix of consideration, courtesy, and candor. He was a dedicated European, and his contributions to European integration were many. He was also a confirmed internationalist and longtime and strong supporter of the IMF.
"We very much regret his passing. On behalf of the Executive Board and my colleagues at the IMF, I would like to express our deeply felt condolences and thoughts to his family."
