"Perhaps the minister went a bit far in not mentioning the United States," one retired ambassador said drily.

The retired ambassador was admitted to the Order of Saint John as a knight of honor in 1995.

"Liberty has its price and the price is high," said Stanislaw Gajewski, a retired ambassador.

"He loved reporters," Frank G. Wisner, a retired ambassador and a close friend of Holbrooke, said.

As a retired ambassador, I draw on American politics and America's various roles in the world.

Alexander Fletcher Watson (born August 8, 1939) is a retired American ambassador and diplomat.

Yet, Patten did not remain silent and struck back in a Legislative Council meeting, publicly ridiculing him as a "dyspeptic retired ambassador".

"The natural conditions are very good," said Jia Hong Bo, a retired ambassador who now serves as a government economic adviser here.

John Edward Reinhardt (born March 8, 1920) is a retired American ambassador and diplomat.

The 15-member body largely consists of civilians from academia (3 retired professors), foreign affairs (3 retired ambassadors), and civil servants.