Arafat illness and death - Thursay 11 November 2004 Arafat, 75, died in a French military hospital early on Thursday, after suffering multiple-organ failure, but the exact cause of his illness and death is still not clear. He had been flown to Paris on 29 October after weeks of mystery stomach pains. He fell into a coma on 3 November and never regained consciousness.
From Paris to Cairo - Thursday 11 November 2004 The body arrived in the Egyptian capital later in the day amid pomp and circumstance, with a military band and a red carpet. It was flown from a French military air base after Arafat, 75, died Thursday in a Paris hospital after falling into a deep coma that followed a brain hemorrhage. Grand Sheikh Mohammed Sayed Tantawi gave the opening prayer at Cairo's al-Jalaal mosque, starting the official funeral ceremony. Following the prayer, the coffin was taken to the mosque, first by hearse, then by horse-drawn carriage for a military procession through the streets of Cairo to Al-Maza Air Base. Egyptian soldiers and a military band accompanied the Palestinian flag-draped coffin. Dignitaries -- led by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak -- walked behind the carriage. The streets were cordoned off, preventing Egyptian citizens from participating in the procession. Arafat's widow, Suha, and his 9-year-old daughter, Zahwa, were among the crowd of dignitaries looking on as the coffin was placed on an Egyptian military cargo plane at the air base. From there, it was flown to Al-Arish airport, just south of the Egypt-Israel border, where it was ferried to Ramallah via helicopter for the burial service. Some international heads of state, including South African President Thabo Mbeki and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, attended the funeral in Cairo while most Western countries sent lower-level representatives. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State William Burns officially represented the United States, while Foreign Secretary Jack Straw represented Britain. Arab leaders were present in large numbers.
