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Submit to me, you know you want to
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the "worlds" reaction if any one is interested
Quote:
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said: "The recent events could be a historic turning point for the Middle East. Israel is a country that seeks peace and will continue in its efforts to reach a peace deal with the Palestinians without delay.
"I hope that the new Palestinian leadership ... will understand that the advancement of the relations ... depends first and foremost on them stopping terror."
Israeli Justice Minister Yosef Lapid said: "Arafat missed the opportunity to have peace in the Middle East and a Palestinian state and chose terror as a weapon, not only against Israel but against Western civilization.
"He was the godfather of al Qaeda and of bin Laden. And perhaps we now have a new opportunity to start talks with Palestinians who genuinely want to have peace."
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he was "deeply moved" after learning of the Palestinian leader's death.
He said Arafat would always be remembered for having led the Palestinians in 1988 to accept the principle of peaceful coexistence between Israel and a future Palestinian state.
"By signing the Oslo accords in 1993 he took a giant step towards the realization of this vision. It is tragic that he did not live to see it fulfilled," Annan said 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," he said.
"For nearly four decades, he expressed and symbolized in his person the national aspirations of the Palestinian people."
Annan said that now Arafat was gone, "both Israelis and Palestinians, and the friends of both peoples throughout the world, must make even greater efforts to bring about the peaceful realization of the Palestinian right of self-determination."
U.S. President George W. Bush expressed his condolences to the Palestinian people and said Arafat's death was a "significant moment" in Palestinian history.
"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," Bush said.
"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."
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton offered his condolences to Arafat's family, to his partners in the PLO and to the Palestinian people.
Clinton said history would record that Arafat's greatest moment was on 13 September 1993 when he and then-Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin shook hands on the White House lawn to sign the Oslo Accords, which led to seven years of negotiation, progress and relative peace.
"However others viewed him, the Palestinians saw him as the father of their nation," Clinton said.
But Clinton said he regretted that in 2000 Arafat missed the opportunity to bring his nation into being.
He said he prayed for the day "when the dreams of the Palestinian people for a state and a better life will be realized in a just and lasting peace."
British Prime Minister Tony Blair extended his condolences to Arafat's family and to the Palestinian people.
He said Arafat came to symbolize the Palestinian national movement and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994, jointly with Yitzhak Rabin, in recognition of their efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East.
"He led his people to an historic acceptance of the need for a two-state solution," Blair said.
"That goal of a viable Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel is one that we must continue to work tirelessly to achieve.
"Peace in the Middle East must be the international community's highest priority.
Blair said the UK would do whatever it could, working with the U.S. and EU to "help the parties reach a fair and durable settlement."
French President Jacques Chirac called Arafat "a man of courage and conviction who has incarnated, for 40 years, the fight of Palestinians for the recognition of their national rights."
Chirac offered his condolences and expressed "in this moment of mourning, the friendship of France and of the French people.
"May this loss unite all Palestinians. By remaining united they will continue to be faithful to Yasser Arafat's memory and will uphold the ideal to which he devoted his life.
"France, like her European partners, will firmly maintain its engagement in favor of two states -- one Palestinian state, viable, peaceful and democratic, and the state of Israel -- living side by side in peace and security."
Chirac said the Road Map, approved by Arafat, opened this perspective.
"The international community must weigh in with all its influence to make it happen."
South African President Thabo Mbeki: "It is indeed difficult to accept that the greatest leader of the Palestinian people, Yasser Arafat, with whom we have shared so many trials and tribulations, has ceased to lead.
"History will record that President Arafat epitomized that rare breed of leaders whose lives were defined by the unflinching sacrifices they made in the noble and just cause of the struggle of their peoples."
Australian Prime Minister John Howard said Arafat would be remembered as a leader who failed to grasp an opportunity for peace in the Middle East.
Speaking on radio before official news of Arafat's death, Howard said history would judge him harshly for not having seized the opportunity in 2000 to embrace the offer made by then Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Barak.
Howard said this "involved the Israelis agreeing to 90 per cent of what the Palestinians had wanted."
Israeli Justice Minister Yosef Lapid said that without Arafat "there could have already been peace in the region and a Palestinian state ... The government of Israel will continue with its efforts to reach peace."
Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri: "The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas mourns with pride for our Palestinian people, for our Muslim and Arab nation, the great leader Yasser Arafat. An icon of our struggle and a great Palestinian symbol."
Islamic Jihad leader Mohammad al-Hindi: "This is a time for unity, steadfastness. We are all one people fighting for our freedom and to liberate our land ... We are looking to see a smooth transfer of authority within Fatah at this stage and later all issues must be discussed including the formation of a unified national leadership or an emergency leadership formed up by all factions."
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi called Arafat "a pioneer who had laid out the foundation for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
"I sincerely hope the Palestinians overcome their sorrow and continue with their effort toward achieving peace and prosperity in the region," he said.
In Indonesia, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, said: "Indonesia expresses its condolences on the untimely demise of President Yasser Arafat.
"It is with great sorrow and profound sadness that we learned the news about the untimely demise of President Yasser Arafat, a leader of the Palestinian people and a hero to us all. He was the ultimate embodiment of decades of the just struggle of a nation for its undeniable rights to self-determination. A figure much loved and respected not only by Palestinians but also many in the world over, including Indonesia.
"The Government and the people of Indonesia extend our heartfelt condolences to the people of Palestine and the bereaved family. We pray to God the Almighty for the late President Yasser Arafat and for his family to be blessed with patience and strength in this time of sorrow.
"In this moment of grief we stand by the Palestinian people and we believe that they would face this loss with courage, integrity and endurance. We share this great loss and we fervently hope that it would instead translate into a renewed momentum for the attainment of independence, freedom, eternal peace, and prosperity of the Palestinian people-in their own country, in their own homeland.
"The Government and the people of Indonesia reaffirm our unwavering solidarity and support to the people of Palestine in their struggle to realize and independent State of Palestine and the achievement of a just and lasting peace in the region in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions."
Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar described Arafat as "a great leader who dedicated his life to defend the rights of his fellow Palestinians.
"It is a terrible loss as he had long been a beacon of hope for Palestinians in their struggle to live with dignity," Syed Hamid told The Associated Press.
Malaysia currently chairs the 144-member Nonaligned Movement and the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference.
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http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/...ion/index.html
France has disappointed me again 
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I want the diabetic plan that comes with rollover carbs. I dont like the unused one expiring at midnite!!
Last edited by ShaniFaye; 11-11-2004 at 11:15 AM..
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