Yasser Arafat was a significant figure... Arafat embodied hopes and dreams of his nation 

On behalf of the United States, I wish to convey our deepest sympathies and support to the Palestinian people at this time of grief and sorrow. Our condolences go out to the family of Yasser Arafat.

Yasser Arafat was a significant figure in the history of the region and the world, and we know that, in the eyes of the Palestinian people, Arafat embodied their hopes and dreams for the achievement of an independent Palestinian State.

* US Secretary of State