Arab Leaders, Governments Mourn Death of Moroccan King

July 25, 1999 - 0:0
TEHRAN Arab leaders on Saturday mourned King Hassan II of Morocco, with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak calling his death a great loss for his people, Arabs and the Muslim world, Associated Press reported. Egypt, Libya, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Tunisia, Sudan, Yemen, Qatar and the Palestinian Authority declared a three-day official mourning to mark the death of Hassan, the longest reigning monarch in the Arab world.

Hassan died of a heart attack Friday. The United Arab Emirates, whose leader Sheik Zayed al Nahyan was a close friend of Hassan, declared 40 days of mourning and ordered all public offices closed for three days starting Saturday. Bahrain announced a seven-day mourning and ordered public offices closed on Saturday. Many of the Arab leaders are expected to travel to Morocco for the funeral Sunday. The official Iraqi News Agency said Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan left Baghdad Saturday on his way to Morocco. The Saudi government said in a statement that it was ``deeply saddened'' by Hassan's death and ``shares the grief with his children, his family and the brotherly Moroccan people.'' Iranian state radio hailed Hassan's `remarkable' role in his nation and the region.

Meanwhile, Palestinian leader Yassir Arafat agreed with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak to postpone until Tuesday a meeting which was scheduled for Saturday night due to Arafat's participation in the funeral of King Hassan II of Morocco, Egypt's Middle East News Agency MENA reported from Gaza. Palestinian presidential secretary, Al-Tayeb Abdel-Rehim, was quoted as saying that Arafat agreed with Barak to postpone their meeting which was due to take place at the Erez checkpoint between Gaza and Israel, DPA reported.

Israel radio also said the Barak-Arafat meeting would be postponed until Tuesday. The Israeli leadership was to decide later Saturday who would accompany President Ezer Wezman to Hassan's funeral. Earlier Saturday, Egyptian presidential sources said that a meeting scheduled for Sunday between President Hosni Mubarak and Barak in Alexandria was also postponed.