Okay here it is, there sure is alot of hits here.
Nov. 11, 2004 7:52
ARAFAT DIES IN PARIS HOSPITAL
By KHALED ABU TOAMEH AND MATTHEW GUTMAN
Anti-Zionist Netorei Karta pray and wait outside the Percy Military Hospital in Clamart, near Paris, as they wait for news of Yasser Arafat
Photo: AP
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MUKATA, Ramallah
Palestinian President Yasser Arafat died early Thursday morning in Paris.
Arafat is survived by his wife Suha and nine-year-old daughter Zahwa.
Tayeb Abd Al Rahim, a top PA official, made a statement at a meeting of the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah which read: "At 4:30 a.m. Yasser Arafat's death was declared. His funeral will be held in Ramallah. His pure spirit has returned to its source, but he remains with us."
Forty days of mourning have been declared in the Palestinian territories.
"Mr. Yasser Arafat, president of the Palestinian Authority, has died at the Percy Military Training Hospital in Clamart on Nov. 11, 2004, at 3:30," spokesman Gen. Christian Estripeau told reporters in a brief statement.
Estripeau then told reporters that Arafat's body would be leaving the hospital, but that - because of French privacy laws - no details would be given on the cause of death or anything else.
Saeb Erekat, Palestinian cabinet minister, told CNN, that the Palestinian people "were supposed to be scattered and extinct in this century, but President Arafat managed to keep us united and preserved. It breaks my heart that Arafat is dead but the Israeli occupation is not. We will continue our dream for a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, and a two state solution with Israel."
Former minister and longtime aide Yasser Abd Rabo spoke with reporters at the Mukata, said that Arafat will be moved to Cairo on Thursday and that there will be a ceremony in Cairo on Friday, followed by a burial at Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah (the Mukata) on Saturday with the participation of Palestinians, and friends of the Palestinians. Friday's ceremony will be held for international leaders and heads of state from the Arab world. Abd Rabo said that he hoped members of the Israeli peace camp would arrive to the Ramallah funeral.
Arafat, 75, was flown to Paris on Oct. 29 for treatment of an undisclosed illness. He fell into a coma a week later and was put on a life support machine.
His health steadily deteriorated and he suffered some brain damage due to hemorrhage. Only his heart and lungs were still functioning, Palestinian officials said Wednesday.
No diagnosis was made public.
French President Jacques Chirac said in a statement that he had learned of Arafat's death "with emotion" and that France would continue to press "with conviction" for an independent Palestinian state alongside that of Israel.
"With him disappears the man of courage and conviction who, for 40 years, has incarnated the Palestinians' combat for recognition of their national rights," Chirac said.
"To the Palestinian people, I want to express at this moment of mourning the friendship of France and the French people."
"May the loss that they have just suffered unite the Palestinians."
The Palestinian Authority on Wednesday moved closer to ending four decades of autocratic rule as officials in Ramallah reached an agreement on the division of Yasser Arafat's powers among four people. They are PLO No. 2 Mahmoud Abbas, PA Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei, PA Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath, and Palestinian Legislative Council Speaker Rouhi Fattouh.
US President George W. Bush said the death of Arafat was a "significant moment in Palestinian people. We express our condolences to the Palestinian people."
"The death of Yasser Arafat is a significant moment in Palestinian history. We express our condolences to the Palestinian people. For the Palestinian people, we hope that the future will bring peace and the fulfillment of their aspirations for an independent, democratic Palestine that is at peace with its neighbors. During the period of transition that is ahead, we urge all in the region and throughout the world to join in helping make progress toward these goals and toward the ultimate goal of peace," a statement from Washington said.
There are 3 pages, I am posting just the first.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1099973628375