Arab, foreign leaders to attend Arafat s funerals

The Palestinian deputy foreign minister Majdi al-Khalidi said yesterday that the leaders of Jordan, Yemen, Algeria, South Africa and Brazil will be attending the funeral of the Palestinian President Yasser Arafat due in Cairo.

He also quoted a Palestinian official as saying that the Lebanese President Emil Lahoud, the Tunisian President Zine al-Abidin Ben Ali confirmed taking part in the funeral in Cairo, adding that the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and col. Mu'ammar al-Qathafi will be also attending.

But Khalidi said that the Presidents who confirmed they will be attending the funeral are the hosting President Hosni Mubarak, the Jordanian king Abdullah II, the Algerian President Abdul Aziz Butaflika, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the President of south Africa Thabu Mabeiki, noting that President of Brazil Lola Da Silva will also attend. Khalidi continued that other countries will dispatch representatives to the funeral procession. Australia's prime minister John Howard said neither him nor any of his government's ministers will take part.