Asian leaders reacted with sadness to the death of Yasser Arafat yesterday as they paid tribute to his long struggle for the Palestinian people and expressed hope for eventual peace in the Middle East.

Indonesia, which has the biggest Muslim population in the world and is a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause, hailed Arafat as a hero.

"It is with great sorrow and profound sadness that we learned of the demise of president Yasser Arafat, the leader of Palestine and a hero to us all," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Marty Natalegawa told AFP .

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who will attend Arafat's funeral in Cairo on Friday, expressed his "deepest condolence for the loss of a Palestinian leader, a man who was also close to the hearts of the Indonesian people".

"He hopes that Mr Arafat's passing is used as a momentum to find a new solution for peace in the Middle East. Hopefully his dreams for a free Palestine will be achieved someday," spokesman Andi Malaranggeng said.

Chinese President Hu Jintao described Arafat as "a great friend of China" and urged Palestinians to continue peace efforts.

"Chairman Arafat was a brilliant leader of the Palestinian cause and an outstanding politician who devoted his life to the just cause of striving to recover the legal rights of the Palestinian people," Hu said in a statement.

"His death is not only a great loss to the Palestinian people, but China has also lost a great friend."

Three days of mourning

Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who will also attend the funeral, expressed "deepest grief" over his death and urged the global powers behind the "roadmap" for Middle East peace to remain committed to the plan.

"That Arafat's death is a great loss to the Palestinians and the cause of Palestine would be an understatement," said Abdullah, who chairs the 57-member Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the 117-nation Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) of developing states.

"The death of Yasser Arafat marks not only the departure of a great leader but also a turning point in the history of the Middle East."

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi lauded Arafat's leadership qualities while offering condolences to the Palestinians.

"He was indeed a pioneer who had laid out the foundation for the establishment of a Palestinian state," Koizumi said in a statement, adding Arafat had visited Japan six times since 1981.

"I pray that his soul would rest in peace. I sincerely hope the Palestinians overcome their sorrow and continue with their struggle for achieving peace and prosperity in the region."

In South Asia, Pakistan declared three days of mourning as President Pervez Musharraf expressed sorrow at the death of the "great leader".

"We stand by our Palestinian brethren in this moment of grief - grief that has touched everyone in the Muslim world," Musharraf said.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai described Arafat as "a great personality, whose courage and leadership was respected world-wide for well over half a century".

Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam praised Arafat's lifetime devotion to his people.

"The Palestinian people have not only lost a great patriot but also a great visionary whose only ambition in life was to achieve a homeland for the Palestinian people," Kalam said.

Filipino President Gloria Arroyo and the governments of Singapore and Thailand also sent their condolences.

'Arafat fails to embrace peace'

In Australia, which is a strong ally of Israel, Prime Minister John Howard said history would judge Arafat harshly for failing to embrace an Israeli peace offer four years ago.

New Zealand's Foreign Minister Phil Goff said "there was much both to respect and criticise in Yasser Arafat" and that the Palestinian leader shared with Israel the responsibility for failing to finalise a peace settlement.

Arafat died at 0230 GMT on Thursday in a Paris military hospital, aged 75, after being airlifted to France on Oct 29 from his West Bank headquarters. He had been in a coma since Nov 3.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, Bangladeshi President Iajuddin Ahmed and Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse were among other high-profile figures set to attend Friday's funeral, while China, India, Afghanistan and Japan were sending senior envoys.