World Leaders Expected At Arafat Funeral
The Jerusalem Post ^ | Nov.11, 2004 | Nina Gilbert
 

JPost.com

Nov. 10, 2004 19:53 Updated Nov. 11, 2004 13:04 World leaders expected at Arafat funeral By NINA GILBERT

Israel has agreed that the Palestinians will handle security for Yasser Arafat's funeral Ramallah, with the IDF coordinating security outside the Palestinian area together with the police.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry has officially announced a Friday burial in Ramallah, despite conflicting reports from the PA. They are also reported to have said that they have received no requests for foreign VIP's to attend the actual burial in Ramallah.

The following dignitaries are expected at Yasser Arafat's funeral in Cairo on Friday, according to Palestinian planners and other officials.

Algeria: President Abdelaziz Bouteflika

Brazil: President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva

Egypt: President Hosni Mubarak

European Union: Foreign policy chief Javier Solana.

France: Foreign Minister Michel Barnier

Germany: Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer

Hungary: Foreign Minister Ferenc Somogyi.

Iran: Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi

Jordan: King Abdullah

Malaysia: Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

Pakistan: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz

Portugal: Foreign Minister Antonio Monteiro

South Africa: President Thabo Mbeki

Spain: Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos

United Kingdom: Foreign Secretary Jack Straw

Yemen: President Ali Abdullah Saleh

Israel is not sending anyone to either event and those Israelis who do intend to go to Ramallah for the funeral have to sign responsibility waivers beforehand. Jewish MKs are also not expected to attend.

MKs from the Arab parties are planning to attend Palestinian Authority Chairman Arafat's funeral, and the Knesset was making arrangements with the security services on Wednesday to ensure their safe passage to Ramallah.

No other MKs are planning to attend. Yahad's Zehava Gal-On said it would be "too tense of a situation" for Israelis to attend.

MK Ahmed Tibi (Arab Movement for Change), who served for several years as a key adviser to Yasser Arafat, believes Arafat will eventually be buried on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

Speaking on Israel Radio on Wednesday, Tibi said that sooner or later east Jerusalem will come under Palestinian rule, at which time Arafat's remains will be interred at Al Aksa.

Tension was already high in the Knesset on Wednesday as politicians waited for news on Arafat.

Justice Minister Yosef Lapid attacked Hadash's Issam Mahoul for comments in which he suggested that Israel may have poisoned Arafat. Mahoul said Israel has assassinated Palestinian figures.

Lapid said it was a "disgrace" that someone like Mahoul was a member of the Knesset. He noted that PA officials had themselves ruled out the possibility of poisoning, and concluded that Mahoul was trying to "spread a blood libel" against the Jewish people. Mahoul is Christian.

Mahoul responded by calling Lapid a "white racist," and after repeated attacks from right-wing MKs he declared: "I never claimed that Israel poisoned Arafat."

Uri Ariel (National Union) asked the government to act to halt the plan to have Arafat buried on Saturday, saying it would result in the security services desecrating Shabbat.

Ran Cohen (Yahad) said Arafat's burial place would turn into a "Mount Arafat" that would serve during days of peace as a place of pilgrimage like Mount Herzl.

He said Israel's consent to the burial at the PA's Ramallah headquarters would help encourage the new PA leadership to take a new pragmatic path toward reaching peace.

Greer Fay Cashman and AP contributed to this report.