World awaits Arafat's passing
2004-11-10 16:18
Cairo - Egypt was quietly preparing Wednesday to hold the eventual funeral of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, with a horde of Arab leaders and international dignitaries expected to show up for the ceremony.
Egyptian presidential spokesperson Maged Abdul Fattah confirmed that arrangements were underway after reports that President Hosni Mubarak had given the green light for the ceremony to proceed in Cairo.
"This news is correct, but it will (be) limited in scope and restricted to officials," Abdul Fattah told reporters.
Egypt's semi-official al-Ahram daily reported that Cairo had agreed to convene the official funeral ceremony for the Palestinian leader, although there has been no confirmation of his death.
Crowds
Officials have, however, ruled out opening the event to the general public, voicing concerns about the difficulty of controlling the throngs of crowds that may want to join in paying their last respects to the symbol of the Palestinian struggle for statehood.
The decision to hold a funeral in Egypt was made after consultations between Mubarak and his Yemeni counterpart Ali Abdullah Saleh.
This followed earlier talks Mubarak held with top Palestinian officials, including acting chief of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, Mahmud Abbas, Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei and the speaker of the legislative assembly, Raweh Fattuh.
Yemeni officials said: "Mr Mubarak informed Mr Saleh that he had made arrangements that in case of the death the official funeral would take place in Egypt to allow the Arab leaders to take part in the ceremony ... (Arafat's) mortal remains would then be transported by helicopter to Ramallah to be buried."
Details withheld
Egyptian authorities are withholding details about the funeral ceremony, pending an official announcement of Arafat's death, according to an official.
Some reports suggest it could take place at Cairo airport, where top security chiefs convened a series of crisis meetings to discuss preparations to receive the Palestinian leader's body.
They were also trying to put in place a contingency plan for the ceremony, expected to be attended by many leaders, and a host of other security measures to ensure that the event passes off without incident, a security source said.
The official Middle East News Agency said military bands were warming up for parades and the customary 21-gun salute ceremony.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians, many of them descendants of parents or grand parents who fled in 1948 when the state of Israel was created live in Egypt.
- SAPA