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Lankan
leaders see Arafat as friend and hero President Chandrika Kumaratunga, a host of other political leaders and the LTTE sent messages of condolence to the grieving family members and Palestinian Authority officials. The President in her message said that Sri Lanka was one of the first countries to recognise Palestinian statehood and also welcome President Arafat on more than one occasion. "President Arafat devoted and eventually sacrificed his life for the cause of Palestine, and fought relentlessly throughout his life to uphold the inalienable rights of his people," President Kumaratunga said. Prime Minister Rajapakse, who till recently headed the Sri Lanka Committee for Solidarity with Palestine from the time it was founded in the 1970s and had enjoyed a personal friendship with the Palestinian leader, said 'there can be little doubt that Mr. Arafat symbolised to the whole world not merely the struggle of the people of Palestine but also the great injustice that befell them through the creation of the State of Israel." "The world has no option but to recognise the part played by Mr. Arafat in bringing the plight of Palestinians to the attention of the world," Mr. Rajapakse said. He added that it would take a while for his people to re-group themselves and to address the problems because they have had no leader other than Mr. Arafat during their long and painful struggle for justice. "The Middle East will not be the same without his presence at those meetings and deliberations which seek to give the Islamic position its proper articulation," the Prime Minister said. Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe described Mr. Arafat as 'a man who spent four decades leading his people in their fight for statehood" and wished the new leadership success in their onward march for a Palestinian state. The LTTE in a message posted on their website condoled on the death of Mr. Arafat and expressed solidarity with the Palestinian people in their liberation struggle. |
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