After burial, aides overcome by grief

RAMALLAH, West Bank - After Yasser Arafat's chaotic burial, his bodyguards ringed the freshly dug grave Friday for what was to have been an orderly military salute.

Overcome by emotion, they quickly lost control, hugging, crying and firing wildly in the air in a tribute to the man they had followed through wars, uprisings and his return from exile.

Hours after the ceremony, his aides openly wept, his guards called him a father figure, and Palestinian journalists whose coverage had sometimes angered Arafat got caught up in the emotions of the moment.

Dozens of people calmly streamed past the grave throughout the evening, quietly reciting Muslim prayers for the dead. The mourners included ordinary Palestinians, top officials and international dignitaries.

Tayeb Abdel Rahim, a top aide to Arafat, burst into tears as he passed the grave. Palestinian TV journalists who spent years covering Arafat placed their equipment on the ground and went to the grave to pray.

Inside the compound, the new Palestinian leadership and relatives of Arafat greeted well-wishers. Huge posters of Arafat blowing kisses and making the victory sign were displayed, along with two large Palestinian flags and numerous smaller ones.

PARIS - As the Palestinians' main donor and Israel's top commercial partner, Europe could be a major player in pushing to restart the stalled Middle East peace process in the post-Yasser Arafat era.

But doubts remain whether European Union nations, long accused by Israel of pro-Palestinian bias, can unite to wield their clout, instead of merely calling for peace from the sidelines.

The EU announced its latest diplomatic initiative in the region Friday, saying it will meet with Israel and its Arab neighbors Nov. 29-30 to discuss Iraq and Mideast peace.

Experts say internal EU squabbling prevents the 25-member body from leveraging its big humanitarian and commercial roles, and hampers its potential as a counterweight to the United States' pro-Israel tilt.

"Europe should now push the Americans to an international conference where all the states can embrace the new (Palestinian) leadership," said Mahdi Abdul Hahdi, head of the Palestinian Academy Society for the Study of International Affairs, a Jerusalem-based think-tank.

CAIRO - Presidents, kings and potentates from across the Arab world and beyond paid their last respects to the Palestinian leader Friday, holding a state memorial service for a leader without a state.

The ceremony followed the brief, somber choreography of most Muslim funerals, a few moments of prayer followed by a gathering of mourners in a large tent, then a march behind the coffin, draped in a Palestinian flag and resting on a caisson drawn by six black horses to an Egyptian military transport plane.

The public was not allowed anywhere near the service, with traffic halted and armed security forces stationed on all rooftops and even in mosque minarets along the brief, 150-yard route of the funeral march on Cairo's main airport road. Homeowners in apartments lining the road were evidently told not to even open their windows.

CAIRO - Viewers watching Yasser Arafat's funeral Friday got a rare glimpse of his daughter Zahwa, 9, standing next to her mother and weeping as his coffin was placed on a plane.

State-run Egyptian television, the only station allowed to broadcast the funeral service, took note of the emotional moment.

"Don't cry, Zahwa. Your father never cried. He was a man of patience and endurance," an unidentified announcer said. "Don't cry, Zahwa. All the Arab children share with you your pride and dignity today."

Zahwa, which means "pride," also was the name of Arafat's mother.

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