Arafat's body will be sent to Cairo for funeral: aide

The body of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, who died in Paris early Thursday, will be flown to Cairo for a funeral on Friday and then to the West Bank city of Ramallah for burial, his aide said.

Earlier, an Egyptian security official said the funeral would be held at Cairo Airport when the body was flown from Paris, adding that prayers and military ceremonies would take place before the body was taken to Ramallah, via Jordan, for burial.

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat died in intensive care at 3:30 a.m. (0230 GMT), a French military hospital spokesman announced Thursday.

French President Jacques Chirac confirmed on Thursday that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat died in the military hospital.

Palestinian flags in all institutions of the Palestinians territories were lowered to half staff. Television broadcast excerpts from the Quran with a picture of Arafat in the background.

Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic jihad, Arafat's main political rivals, expressed sorrow and paid tribute.