EXPATRIATES, senior Government officials, and diplomats have signed a book of condolences at the British Residence for Roger Short, the former UK ambassador to Bulgaria who died in last week's terrorist attack on the British consulate in Istanbul.

Short, who was consul-general in the Turkish city, was one of 27 victims of two suicide bombings, one at the British consulate and the other at a branch of HSBC Bank in the centre of Istanbul.

The UK embassy in Sofia told The Echo that Short`s diplomatic speciality was Turkey. He spoke excellent Turkish and had a deep understanding and love of the country.

His appointment to Istanbul made him responsible for promotion of the whole range of UK interests in Turkey`s commercial, trading and cultural centre. He was also director of trade and investment promotion in Turkey.

"This was the culmination of a distinguished career which also included a year as chief of staff of the High Representative in Bosnia, and a very successful posting as ambassador to Bulgaria from 1994 to 1998," the embassy said.

Short was a talented linguist, who in addition to Turkish spoke Bulgarian, Norwegian, French and Portuguese.

He was born December 9, 1944 in Cape Town, South Africa. He was educated at Malvern College and University College Oxford on a Classics scholarship. He joined the Commonwealth Office (later Foreign and Commonwealth Office) in 1967. His first appointment was at the East African Department, from 1967 to 1969. From 1969 to 1974 he was second secretary in the embassy in Turkey's capital city of Ankara. He became first secretary in 1974 and remained in the post till 1978, when he was appointed commercial consul in Rio de Janeiro. In 1981 he became head of chancery in Ankara. In 1984 he became head of the permanent under-secretary`s department at the FCO, and in 1986 he was appointed head of chancery and consul-general in Oslo. In 1990 he returned to the headquarters of the FCO to become head of the personnel services department. After that, in 1994 he was appointed UK ambassador in Sofia.

Short leaves his wife, one son and two daughters.

By Monday, about 50 people had signed the book of condolences, the embassy said. One of the first to sign in it was former president Zhelyu Zhelev, who held office during Short's term to Bulgaria, Foreign Minister Solomon Passi, and representatives of the President's office.

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