Steve Quayle News Alerts

November 11, 2004
By Patrick Goodenough
CNSNews.com International Editor

Pacific Rim Bureau (CNSNews.com) - In stark contrast to the praise being heaped on Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat by governments in the Asia-Pacific region, Australian Prime Minister John Howard reacted to the death of the Palestinian leader by highlighting his failures.

Although Canberra would be "appropriately represented" at Arafat's funeral in Cairo, Egypt, Howard has made clear that neither he nor any Australian government minister would be attending.

Asked in a radio interview whether he thought Arafat would be judged as a terrorist, Howard replied: "Many people see him that way, yes."

Pressed on whether he shared that view, the prime minister added: "Well, I find it very hard to believe that he couldn't have taken more action to restrain the activities of terrorist organizations."

Arafat's death at the age of 75 was announced early Thursday, after days of rumor and speculation about his condition as well as the nature of his illness, which has yet to be disclosed.

His body arrived in the Egyptian capital late Thursday for a state funeral before a burial service in Ramallah.

Howard said he thought history would judge Arafat "very harshly" for rejecting the offer by then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak in 2000 of "about 90 percent of what the Palestinians had wanted."

"I think if Arafat had grabbed hold of that opportunity in the dying days of the Clinton administration then the path of things in the Middle East may have been smoother."

During marathon summit talks at Camp David, where Barak made an unprecedented offer to the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip, around 95 percent of the West Bank, and sovereignty over parts of Jerusalem, Israel's capital.

The Palestinian Authority's envoy to Australia, Ali Kazak, criticized the government for not sending the prime minister or minister to Arafat's funeral. Kazak told reporters in Canberra that Howard had repeatedly demonstrated a pro-Israel bias.

Howard's response to Arafat's demise was a rare standout from the tone of reaction from other parts of the region.

"A great leader who dedicated his life to defend the rights of his fellow Palestinians," Malaysian foreign minister Syed Hamid Albar said of Arafat upon news of the death.

Malaysia currently chairs both the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Non-Aligned Movement, a bloc of 116 mostly developing nations.

"Palestine" has for many years been a full member of the two groupings, and Arafat was regular participant at their summits. The OIC and NAM have also spearheaded support for the Palestinians at the United Nations.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi described Arafat as "a pioneer," Chinese President Hu Jintao called him "a great friend" of the Chinese people, and Indian President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam said he was "a great patriot but also a great visionary."

Pakistan declared three days of national mourning for a man Gen. Pervez Musharraf described as a "great leader" whose "legacy will continue to inspire future generations."

For Indonesian foreign ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa, Arafat was "a hero to us all" and "the ultimate embodiment of decades of the just struggle of a nation."

"Arafat will be remembered as a Nobel Peace laureate and a leader who devoted lifetime efforts to build peace in the Middle East and the world," the South Korean government said in a statement.

Philippines President Gloria Arroyo said the Palestinians had lost "a great beloved leader" who had "devoted his life to working for peace for his people."

A more dispassionate view came from New Zealand Foreign Minister Phil Goff, who said "there was much both to respect and criticize in Yasser Arafat."

"His achievement was to win acknowledgement for the existence of the Palestinian nation and to advocate for the rights of a dispossessed and disadvantaged people," Goff said.

"His failure was to not make the transformation from resistance leader to statesman. Under his leadership the Palestinian Authority was marked by incompetence, corruption and a lack of constitutional and democratic procedure," Goff added.

Goff was slammed by domestic opponents last year for defying an Israeli request that he not visit Arafat in Ramallah. Israel and the U.S. had sidelined Arafat, regarding him as an obstacle to President Bush's "road map" peace initiative.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=41413