Former top Czech diplomat Schwarzenberg dies aged 85

Former Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, one of the main figures in the country’s transition from Communist rule to democracy, has died, a longtime political colleague said on Sunday. He was 85.
Schwarzenberg was born into a prestigious Czech family and became a top aide to his friend Vaclav Havel after the former dissident won the country’s first free election in 1990. He later served as twice as foreign minister between 2007 and 2013.
He was a strong backer of closer integration in Europe, and while he was a declared conservative, his appeal stretched to urban liberal groups and younger people in politics.
He was transported to hospital in Vienna last week, Czech media had reported. Echo24 news website, which first reported his death on Sunday, said his family was around him.