Former Austrian prez Kurt Waldheim dead

VIENNA: Kurt Waldheim, former United Nations secretary-general and Austrian president, died on Thursday aged 88 after a short but severe illness, the Austrian presidency and a family spokesman said.   

Austria's APA news agency said Waldheim had died of heart failure, citing Waldheim's son-in-law.   

Waldheim was tainted by revelations that he hid his past in Nazi Germany's officer corps. He admitted concealing his service with Hitler's Wehrmacht in the Balkans but always denied knowing of Nazi war crimes committed there at the time, including deportations of thousands of Greek Jews.   

Most Austrians did not believe Waldheim was linked to Nazi atrocities. In fact, the accusations boosted his poll ratings as president. But they also made him persona non grata in many countries and he made almost no state visits during his tenure.
 
Waldheim said later the furore around his 1986-92 presidency had a worthwhile impact in forcing Austrians to face up to the fact that they were not all passive victims of Nazi Germany.