Larsen, the U.N.'s longtime Middle East envoy and a key mediator in past peace talks, said Arafat's last years were marred by mistakes. "One of the reasons his credibility as a leader was undermined on the Palestinian side was an increasing agreement among the leadership and the Palestinian people that Arafat had led them in the wrong direction over the past four years," Roed-Larsen told Norwegian state radio NRK. "Yasser Arafat's life stands for the varied and tragic history of the Palestinian people and the Middle East as a whole," German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said in a statement. "In it were reflected many people's hopes for peace, but time and again also their disappointments and setbacks." Irish Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern said it was "tragic" that Arafat did not live to see an independent Palestinian state."We're very impressed with the Palestinian leadership over recent weeks. They have upheld the rule of law within Palestine," Ahern said.
