Annan accorded Arafat the same honors as a head of state by flying UN flags at half-staff

WORLD CAPITALS, November 11 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – World leaders paid tribute on Thursday, November 11, to deceased Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, describing his demise as a "great loss" of a towering symbol of Palestinian liberation aspirations.

Flags were flown at half-staff at the United Nations as the world body accorded the veteran leader the same honors as a head of state, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

UN Secretary General "Kofi Annan asked us to apply the same protocol as for heads of state," Marie Heuze, spokeswoman for the UN's European headquarters in Geneva, said.

The president of the Palestinian Authority, which only has observer status at the UN partly because it is not an internationally-recognized state, was officially declared dead at a hospital in Paris early on Thursday.

Annan said earlier in the day he was "deeply moved" by Arafat's death.

"For nearly four decades, he expressed and symbolized in his person the national aspirations of the Palestinian people," said a statement released by Annan’s office in New York.

Pope Grieved

Pope John Paul II of the Vatican remembered Arafat as "a leader of great charisma who loved his people and tried to guide them towards national independence."

In a message of condolence to interim Palestinian Authority chairman Rawhi Fattuh, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano said the pontiff felt "particularly close to Arafat's family, the authorities and the Palestinian people".

"The Holy Father prays to the prince of peace that the star of harmony will soon shine on the Holy Land and that the two peoples dwelling therein may live reconciled among themselves as two independent and sovereign states."

The pope, who was told of the death of the Palestinian Authority president early Thursday, also prayed for the Holy Land, his spokesman said.

Pope John Paul II gave Arafat an audience at the Vatican for the first time in September 1982 as leader of the PLO. They had seven other meetings.

Historic Leader

"With him disappears a man of courage and conviction who for 40 years incarnated the Palestinians' fight for recognition of their national rights," said Chirac

European politicians, who had largely backed Arafat as the legitimately elected Palestinian president, described him as a historic leader.

French President Jacques Chirac paid final respects to Arafat at the Paris military hospital where the Palestinian leader was declared dead overnight.

"I came to bow before president Yasser Arafat and pay him a final homage," Chirac told journalists after a 25-minute visit.

"With him disappears a man of courage and conviction who for 40 years incarnated the Palestinians' fight for recognition of their national rights."

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Arafat was a "great political leader of international significance ... who devoted his whole life to the rightful cause of the Palestinians."

While Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said the Palestinian people have lost "a symbol" with the death of their president.

"With him, the Palestinian people lose a symbol of their aspiration to be able to affirm their own national identity," said Berlusconi

"With him, the Palestinian people lose a symbol of their aspiration to be able to affirm their own national identity," Berlusconi said in a statement expressing his government's condolences.

Berlusconi had an often tense relationship with Arafat, whom he refused to meet during a visit to the Middle East in June 2003 when he declared himself to be "Israel's best friend in Europe".

German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said with Arafat's death "the Palestinian people has lost its historic leader. It is the end of an era."

European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said the best tribute to Arafat's memory will be "to intensify our efforts to establish a peaceful and viable state of Palestine as foreseen by the roadmap."

New Zealand's Foreign Minister Phil Goff said "there was much both to respect and criticize in Arafat" and that the Palestinian leader shared with Israel the responsibility for failing to finalize a peace settlement.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said the peace process was the "highest priority" for the international community.

"We will do whatever we can working with the US and EU to help the parties reach a fair and durable settlement," said Blair.

"Freedom Fighter"

South Africa's hero of the anti-apartheid struggle Nelson Mandela expressed sadness following the death of Arafat.

"Arafat was one of the outstanding freedom fighters of this generation, one who gave his entire life to the cause of the Palestinian people," Mandela said in a statement.

"It is with great sadness that one notes that his and his people's dream of a Palestinian state had not yet been realized.

"We trust that in these times of sadness and loss, the commitment to finding a just and lasting settlement will be redoubled on all sides," Mandela said.

Asians Pay Tribute

Asian leaders also reacted with sadness to the death of Arafat, paying tribute to his long struggle for the Palestinian people and praying for eventual peace in the Middle East.

Indonesia, which has the biggest Muslim population in the world and is a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause, hailed Arafat as a hero.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono voiced his "deepest condolence for the loss of a Palestinian leader, a man who was also close to the hearts of the Indonesian people."

Yudhoyono will be one of the most prominent Asian leaders to attend Arafat's funeral in the Egyptian capital Cairo on Friday, November 12.

Chinese President Hu Jintao described Arafat as "a great friend of China" and urged Palestinians to continue peace efforts.

Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi expressed "deepest grief" over Arafat's death and urged the roadmap sponsors to remain committed to the plan.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi lauded Arafat's leadership qualities while offering condolences to the Palestinians.

In South Asia, Pakistan declared three days of mourning as President Pervez Musharraf expressed sorrow at the death of the "great leader".

"We stand by our Palestinian brethren in this moment of grief -- grief that has touched everyone in the Muslim world," Musharraf said.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai described Arafat as "a great personality, whose courage and leadership was respected world-wide for well over half a century".

Indian President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam praised Arafat's lifetime devotion to his people.

"The Palestinian people have not only lost a great patriot but also a great visionary whose only ambition in life was to achieve a homeland for the Palestinian people," Kalam said.

Filipino President Gloria Arroyo and the governments of Singapore and Thailand also sent their condolences.

Mourning Arabs

The Arab world declared official periods of mourning, as praise started to flow in for deceased Arafat.

With Arafat's body due to arrive from Paris for a military funeral Friday in Cairo, where he was born and educated, the office of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak declared a three-day mourning.

Tunis, home to the Palestinian leader between 1982 and 1994 and headquarters of the PLO, followed suit as flags were flown at half-staff.

Similar gestures of mourning were decreed in Lebanon, another one-time home to the Palestinian leader.

Lebanese Prime Minister Omar Karameh said Arafat's death followed "a long and barbaric siege imposed on him" by the Israelis at his Ramallah headquarters, where he will be laid to rest.

In Damascus, Syrian Information Minister Mahdi Dakhlallah hailed Arafat as "an eminent Palestinian resistance fighter and leader who made his mark on the Palestinian stage and contemporary Arab history."

Jordan decreed a 40-day mourning period at the royal court and three days nationwide as King Abdullah II expressed "deep sadness and pain".

The monarch will be flying to Cairo for Arafat’s funeral.

Three days of mourning were also declared in Yemen, with flags lowered.

Following the announcement of Arafat's death, radio and television began broadcasting verses from the Noble Qur’an.

Elsewhere in the region, Iran offered its condolences to the Palestinian people and appealed to them to remain united in the face of "Zionist aggression."

"Arafat's death is a sad event and we send our condolences to the Palestinian people," foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said.

Turning Point

While Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon claimed the death of Arafat could be a "historic turning point" in the Middle East, US President George W. Bush called it "a significant moment in Palestinian history."

"We hope that the new Palestinian leadership that succeeds him will understand that progress in relations with Israel and solutions to problems must come first and foremost through a war on terrorism," hawkish Sharon told Israeli radio.

Bush, who tried to marginalize Arafat when he took office in 2001, said in a statement he hoped the Palestinians would soon see "peace and the fulfillment of their aspirations for an independent, democratic Palestine that is at peace with its neighbors."

While he is the first US president to formally endorse the creation of an independent Palestinian state, Bush had always made it clear that he regarded Arafat as a "failed" leader.

Former US president Bill Clinton, who had been instrumental in bringing Arafat to Washington 11 years ago to sign the Oslo agreement, also paid tribute to Arafat.

"History will record that Yasser Arafat's greatest moment occurred on September 13, 1993, when he and Israel's prime minister, Yitzhak Rabin, shook hands on the White House lawn and signed the Oslo Accords which led to seven years of negotiation, progress and relative peace," Clinton said in a statement.

Funeral

Arafat’s funeral will be a somber occasion with many of the world's leaders and dignitaries attending.

So far, a number of heads of state have announced they will make the journey to Cairo, where Arafat will be granted a military funeral before being flown by air force helicopter to Ramallah.

Presidents Ben Ali of Tunisia, Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, Iajuddin Ahmed of Bangladesh, Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal and Yudhoyono of Indonesia are few of the high-level attendants.

Also going are Prime Ministers Mahinda Rajapakse of Sri Lanka and Abdullah Badawi of Malaysia while China will send deputy prime minister Hui Liangyu.

Eleven European Union foreign ministers have already announced their presence in the funeral as well as their counterparts from Switzerland and Turkey.

Russia's State Duma lower house of parliament speaker Boris Gryzlov will head Moscow's delegation to the funeral.

The delegation will also include Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov.

Annan is also expected to attend.

The United States has not decided who will represent it.