International reactions to Yasser Arafat's death

Reactions to Arafat's death are interesting.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, French President Jacques Chirac, South African President Thabo Mbeki, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan all have something kind to say about him, and express the hope that the Palestinians will find unity and peace in the wake of his passing.

U.S. President George W. Bush didn't say anything about Arafat, but "expressed his condolences":

"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.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard and Israeli Justice Minister Yosef Lapid were the harshest on Arafat. Lapid called him a terrorist and the "godfather of Al Qaeda", while Howard said "history will judge him harshly."

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was more neutral, not mentioning Arafat but hoping the next leadership will be more cooperative.

www.cnn.com...
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I know Arafat's legacy is controversial... but there are a good number of countries out there who honor his passing.

How quick people seem to forget the fact that this man authorised the killing of many Israeli athletes during the Munich Olympic games.

I'm glad to see that warmongering old fool gone.

Now though Israel and the new Palastinian leaderships need to move fast to stop the nutters and radicals from turning Arafats death into another Jihad battle cry...

It's very interesting to see a terrorist and a murderer like Arafat turned into a saint by medias belonging to those same countries he struck with terror attacks. Do Germans remember the Munich Olympics? Or Italians the Rome airport and the hijacking of the Achille Lauro? While his struggle for Palestine could win sympathies, his actions against civilians belonging to "third parties" are completely unjustified, especially when you consider that Europe has always had a certain "sympathy" for the Palestinians cause (especially after France broke her excellent relationships with Israel) and that the EU was among the biggest financial contributors to the PNA's assets.

I dont think John Howard saying "history will judge him harshly." is in itself a harsh thing to say. I think it is actually quite true. History will judge him harshly, regardless of the token kind things political leaders have said about him.