WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Former Secretary of State Warren Christopher, who helped bring peace to Bosnia and negotiated the release of American hostages in Iran, died in California at age 85.

Christopher "passed away peacefully, surrounded by family at his home in Los Angeles" late on Friday of complications from kidney and bladder cancer, his family said in a statement.

As the top U.S. statesman under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1997, Christopher was a behind-the-scenes negotiator. Often called the "stealth" secretary of state, he was known for his understated, self-effacing manner.

"As President Clinton's Secretary of State, he was a resolute pursuer of peace," President Barack Obama said on Saturday. "Warren Christopher was a skillful diplomat, a steadfast public servant, and a faithful American."

Christopher said that as a diplomat, careful listening was his secret weapon. "I observed some time ago that I was better at listening than at talking," The New York Times quoted him as saying in a 1981 speech when he was deputy secretary of state.

That secret weapon helped Christopher weather diplomatic crises and bring enemies together.

In 1995, he intervened during the crucial final days of the U.S.-brokered Bosnian peace talks at Dayton, Ohio. He had an important role in closing the deal, according to his deputy, Richard Holbrooke, the force behind the agreement.

Christopher not only spoke the language of diplomacy, he dressed the part. Favoring elegant, tailored suits, he was once named one of the best dressed men in America by People magazine for his "diplomatically dapper" style.

MIDDLE EAST WORK

As secretary of state, Christopher devoted much of his time to the Middle East. He made at least 18 trips to the region in pursuit of peace and a ceasefire in southern Lebanon between Israel and the pro-Iranian Islamic group Hezbollah.

In 1994 he witnessed the signing of a peace treaty between Jordan and Israel.

As President Jimmy Carter's deputy secretary of state, he negotiated the release of 52 Americans taken hostage at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979.

The hostages were freed on January 20, 1981, minutes after Ronald Reagan was sworn in to succeed Carter.

Carter awarded Christopher the Medal of Freedom, the highest U.S. civilian honor, for his efforts. On Saturday the former president said the country had "lost a great and revered leader."

"Warren was a diplomat's diplomat -- talented, dedicated and exceptionally wise," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a statement. "As well as anyone in his generation, he understood the subtle interplay of national interests, fundamental values and personal dynamics that drive diplomacy."

Christopher also helped negotiate the Panama Canal treaty, worked on establishing normal relations with China and played a major role in developing Carter's human rights policies.

"Most talking is not glamorous," Christopher said in an address at Stanford University months after the Iranian hostage crisis ended. "Often it is tedious. It can be excruciating and exhausting. But talking can also tame conflict, lift the human condition and move us close to the ideal of peace."

Christopher was born on October 27, 1925, in Scranton, North Dakota, and grew up in Los Angeles.

(Reporting by John O'Callaghan, Stacey Joyce and Mark Felsenthal in Washington and Matthew Bigg in Atlanta; Editing by Xavier Briand)

SANTA FE, New Mexico (Reuters) – New Mexico's newly elected Republican governor lost her attempt to deny driver's licenses to illegal immigrants on Saturday, when the bill died in the state Senate.

New Mexico is one of only three states to allow undocumented immigrants to receive driver's licenses.

The other states bordering Mexico -- Arizona, California and Texas -- ban the practice.

Governor Susana Martinez, a former prosecutor of Mexican-American descent, made a crackdown on illegal immigration a centerpiece of her campaign before her election in November.

"I will continue to fight to fulfill the promises I made to New Mexicans," she said on Saturday after the bill's defeat.

She added that her office was looking into administrative measures targeting the issuance of driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants.

About 83,000 foreign nationals, including some legal residents, hold driver's licenses in the state. Martinez has called the practice of giving licenses to illegal immigrants "dangerous."

The bill to repeal the state's law giving licenses to illegals was approved in the state House of Representatives on March 4 by a vote of 42-28.

In the Senate, where Democrats hold a 27 to 15 majority over Republicans, lawmakers indicated they were more interested in toughening up the existing law rather than repealing it.

The Senate voted to require foreign nationals to renew their licenses every two years and extended a residency requirement for foreign nationals seeking a license to six from three months.

But those measures failed to be enacted when the House and Senate on Saturday could not agree on the amended bill.

Advocates for immigrants groups cheered the result.

"This goes to show that you come in with a radical, extremist agenda, you're going to get push-back because New Mexico is not a radical extremist state," said Marcela Diaz, head of immigrants rights group Somos un Pueblo Unido.

Some law enforcement officials also opposed the repeal, arguing it would lead to tens of thousands of motorists driving without licenses or insurance.

Under current law, license applicants must show proof of identity, such as a passport, birth certificate or license from another state. They also must present two proofs of residency.

The governor had poured leftover campaign funds into radio advertisements to press the issue.

(Editing by Alex Dobuzinskis and Ellen Wulfhorst)

CHARLESTON, South Carolina (Reuters) – A miniature train at a South Carolina park derailed and overturned on Saturday, killing a 6-year-old child and injuring at least 18 other people, authorities said.

The train at Cleveland Park in Spartanburg had 28 people on board when it derailed just after 1 p.m., said Spartanburg Police Captain Art Littlejohn.

"The train derailed and came off the tracks," he said. "It overturned, and the people were thrown from the train."

A 6-year-old child was killed, he said.

Initial accounts of how many people were injured remained unclear. Littlejohn said 15 children were taken by ambulance to hospitals and two more were airlifted by helicopter. Two adults also were hospitalized, he said.

Some of the injuries were serious, he said.

A spokesman for Spartanburg Regional Medical Center said his hospital alone received 19 injured people from the derailment. He said it was his understanding other area hospitals had also received patients.

The train ride opened for the day at noon, Littlejohn said. The train and tracks had been inspected on Wednesday, he said.

The tracks of the miniature train at Cleveland Park, which is operated by the Spartanburg County Parks Commission, circle the park's playground area.

(Reporting by Ellen Wulfhorst and Harriet McLeod: Editing by Alex Dobuzinskis)