Funeral of Madeleine Albright, first female Secretary of State in the USA: Joe Biden salutes her memory

US President Joe Biden on Wednesday saluted the memory of former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, a child refugee in the United States before accessing the highest diplomatic functions, during his funeral celebrated in the National Cathedral in Washington.

The first woman to hold this position in a US government, between 1997 and 2001, she died on March 23 at the age of 84.

Like his status on the international scene, his funeral gathered more than 1,400 people and was broadcast live on television.

Alongside Joe Biden were notably ex-presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, who had appointed Ms. Albright as head of the State Department. Also attending the funeral were Hillary Clinton, herself a former secretary of state, current incumbent Antony Blinken, as well as parliamentary officials such as Democrat Nancy Pelosi and Republican Mitch McConnell.

“strength for good”

Madeleine Albright, who understood “what American power was capable of“, a “changed the course of history“, paid tribute Joe Biden.

“It is largely thanks to Madeleine that NATO has remained powerful“, he noted as the Atlantic Alliance has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.

Famous jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, as well as other musicians she had become friends with, performed in her memory at the ceremony.

The name of Madeleine Albright, who had also served as US Ambassador to the UN, “is still synonymous, like that of America, with a force for good in the world“, also said Joe Biden.

“Its history was that of America. She loved to talk about America as the indispensable nation.“

Born on May 15, 1937 in Prague, Madeleine Albright and her family had fled Nazism, then Communism to take refuge in the United States where she was naturalized American at the age of 20.

Known for her iron character, the one who defined herself pell-mell as “refugee“, “pin collector” et “Grateful American“will have a brilliant career which will lead President Bill Clinton to propel her, in February 1993, to the head of American diplomacy at the UN, then to that of the State Department, in January 1997.

She died of cancer, according to her family.

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