Arabs, Muslims mourn Arafat's death; World leaders condole

By: Ahmed Hammadi

RAMALLAH, West Bank: The death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, the symbol of four-decade struggle for statehood, is being mourned by Palestinians, Arabs and South Asians while world leaders sent their condolences to the Palestinians and Israel expressed delight at his death.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Arafat, who forced his people's plight into the world spotlight, died Thursday at age 75.

“Our president, our leader, the holder of the flag to the new future, brother Yasser Arafat, passed away at 4:30 this morning (0230 GMT),” Tayeb Abdelrahim, the head of the Palestinian Authority leader's office, told reporters outside Arafat's Muqataa headquarters.

“The Palestinian leadership mourns with our people, with the Arab nation, with the whole of humanity, the loss of the tutor, the leader, the son of Palestine, its symbol, the builder of its modern nationalism and the hero of its battle for freedom and independence,” he said.

Arafat had been critically ill in the Percy military hospital outside Paris since being airlifted to France on October 29 from the West Bank headquarters where he had been kept under virtual house arrest by Israel for almost three years. He had been in a coma since the middle of last week and had been placed on a life support machine.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians poured into the streets of the Gaza Strip reacting with tears and tributes in a spontaneous show of grief. Dozens of gunmen fired into the air, and marchers waved Palestinian flags. Israel responded by sealing the borders of Palestinian territories.

Mosques blared Quranic verses and children burned tires on the main streets, covering the skies in black smoke. People pasted posters of Arafat on building walls. Dozens of children ran through the streets, many promising to carry out his legacy.

In the West Bank city of Ramallah, Palestinian flags at Arafat's battered compound were lowered to half staff. Television broadcast excerpts from the Quran with a picture of Arafat in the background.

As Palestinians digested news of his death, several hundred people were allowed inside the Muqataa where a book of condolence had been opened.

“Where have you gone Abu Ammar (Arafat), why have you left us,” Umm Ahmed wept as she sat inside the battered compound. “We have lost our most valuable possession. He was our most dear leader.”

Others wept in each other arms outside the Muqataa where supporters began converging as soon as news of the death was announced.

Palestinian officials said Arafat's death would be marked by an unprecedented 40-day official mourning period. A funeral will be held in Cairo on Friday before his body is flown back and buried in the Muqataa.

Parliament speaker Rawhi Fattuh is to serve as caretaker leader of the Palestinian Authority for 60 days, after which new elections must be held.

Former Prime Minister Mahmud Abbas was officially installed as head of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) while the PLO's Tunis-based politburo chief Faruq Qaddumi was surprisingly named as head of the dominant Fatah faction.

Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei was to stay on his position as head of government. Prominent Palestinian MP Hanan Ashrawi said Arafat's death would usher in a new era for the region but insisted that it would not be the cue for an outbreak of chaos.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and US President George W. Bush both described his death as major turning point in the region's history as the Palestinians put a new divided leadership structure in place.

Bush said in a statement: “The death of Yasser Arafat is a significant moment in Palestinians' history. We express our condolences for the Palestinian people.”

French President Jacques Chirac was the first world leader to react to news of Arafat's death. He hailed Arafat as a man of courage and conviction who had embodied the aspirations of his people. Chirac led the tributes to Arafat, announcing he would go to the Percy military hospital to “pay a final homage to President Arafat.”

“I have learned with emotion of the death of President Yasser Arafat, first president of the Palestinian Authority,” Chirac said in a statement.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said he was saddened by Arafat's passing.

“For nearly four decades, he expressed and symbolized in his person the national aspirations of the Palestinian people,” he added in a statement. “President Arafat was one of those few leaders who could be instantly recognized by people in any walk of life all around the world.”

British Prime Minister Tony Blair sent condolences to the Palestinian people. “President Arafat came to symbolize the Palestinian national movement. ... (and) led his people to an historic acceptance and the need for a two-state solution,” Blair said.

Arafat became one of the world's most familiar faces after addressing the UN General Assembly in New York in 1974, when he entered the chamber wearing a holster and carrying a sprig. “Today I have come bearing an olive branch and a freedom fighter's gun,” he said. “Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand.”

The first Israeli reaction came from Justice Minister Tommy Lapid who told military radio it was “good that the world is rid of him”.

German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, one of the most active European ministers in the Middle East peace process, said the death of Arafat marked “the end of an era”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also extended his condolences to the Palestinian leadership.

In Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, Foreign Ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa lauded Arafat as a “hero to us all”.

In neighboring Malaysia, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Arafat's legacy and fighting spirit “would continue to inspire Palestinians and those who share the cause of Palestine”.

In Japan, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi hailed the late Palestinian leader as a “pioneer” and hoped the push for peace in the Middle East would continue.

Former US President Bill Clinton also passed on his condolences, but described as a “colossal error” Arafat's rejection of a US-brokered peace deal in 2000.

Pakistan has declared three days of mourning with President Musharraf expressing his sorrow at the death of a “great leader”. “President Arafat was the symbol of the Palestinian struggle,” President Musharraf said in a message to Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei. “With the demise of this great leader, an era has come to an end,” he said. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz will represent Pakistan at Yasser Arafat's funeral.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Arafat's absence will be strongly felt. He said Arafat “was a great personality, whose courage and leadership was respected worldwide”.

Indian leaders have also expressed their sadness, saying he was greatly admired for his courage and sacrifice. Indian President Abdul Kalam led his country's condolences saying the Palestinian people had lost “a great visionary whose only ambition in life was to achieve a homeland for the Palestinian people”. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was saddened at the news and said: “The people of India admire deeply his heroism and commitment to the cause of his people in their quest for a homeland and a State. The Palestinian people have lost their beloved leader and the people of India share their grief.” A spokesman of the prime minister's office says a “high-level” delegation will attend the funeral.

India was the first non-Arab country to recognize the PLO as the sole representative of the Palestinian people. India has historically supported the Palestinian cause but of late has developed close ties with Israel.

Condolences have also come in from Bangladesh with Prime Minister Khaleda Zia describing Arafat's passing as “a great loss to humankind”.

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