Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat declared three days of mourning in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. A Palestinian cabinet statement said the king had been instrumental in "defending the Palestinian people in establishing the Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital".

Former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres said: "He was a visionary, a believer in peace - he supported it, dreamed of it and fought for it. "I am losing a very dear friend," he added. US President Bill Clinton described the king as one of the Middle East's "greatest peacemakers". "In his honour, we must rededicate ourselves to fulfilling his vision - a just andlasting peace for all the Middle East's children," he said in a statement. The White House also announced that President Clinton and the First Lady, Hillary Clinton, would attend the king's funeral. Tunisia and Libya declared three days of national mourning on learning of the king's death while French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin and Egyptian President Husni Mubarak expressed their sadness. French President Jacques Chirac, currently touring West Africa, played host to King Hassan at the recent Bastille Day celebrations in Paris. He said: "I would like to say to the French people that tonight they have lost a man who loved our country and who loved the French."