EGYPT: ASSAD DEATH REACTION

(10 Jun 2000) Arabic/Eng
XFA
Syria's Mideast neighbours mourned the death of President Hafez Assad on Saturday, saying his passing had robbed the region of great leader.
Egypt declared a three-day mourning period - government offices and school will be closed.
Assad was a close fried of President Hosni Mubarak.
SUGGESTED VOICE OVER
Egypt is mourning the death of President Hafez al-Assad.
At the Arab League building in Cairo, flags flew at half mast in honour of the Syrian leader.
Assad and his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak were close friends.
In a statement released in Cairo, Mubarak said Assad's death represented "a tragic loss for his people and his nation and his name will live on in Arab history."
Egypt's foreign minister expressed similar regrets.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"We are indeed very sad for the passing away of President Hafez Assad as a great Arab leader and a leader to reckon with when it comes to negotiations in the peace process and moving the region ahead, as well as doing his best to coordinate the Arab diplomacies and policies. And I know that President Mubarak is so sad to lose a friend - a close friend of his. We trust that Syria will continue to play its prominent role along with other Arab countries in order to build a peace worthy of the name and a secure and prosperous future for the region under conditions of just and lasting peace."
SUPER CAPTION: Amr Moussa, Egyptian Foreign Minister
President Mubarak declared a three-day mourning period, with all government buildings and school closed.
And in Cairo, a small sample of the events to come was evidenced in front of the Syrian embassy where dozens lined up to pay their condolences.
Syrians and Egyptians alike were in tears as they waited their turn to pay their respects.
SOUNDBITE: (Arabic)
"Our Arab nation has lost a great leader, a formidable leader who has worked all his life for the Arab nation and for its honour and its prestige. He was always a great fighter, working foremost to achieve these goals. He was great loss and was irreplaceable not only for Syria, but for the whole Arab nation."
SUPER CAPTION: Syrian Charges d'Affairs, Arabi Saeed
In Lebanon, where Syria has been unquestioned power since its soldiers moved in during the 1975-90 civil war, Assad's loss was described by Prime Minister Salim Hoss as a "tragedy that struck Lebanon in the heart."
Hoss called Assad a "great Arab leader who dedicated his life to defending Arab causes, and carried in his conscience the worries of the (Arab) nation and, in his big heart, its hopes and pains."

Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives ​​
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/
You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/1859b7b2edeec110158a37cdc5f65893

Видео EGYPT: ASSAD DEATH REACTION канала AP Archive