Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a message of condolences to the Palestinian leadership on the death of Yasser Arafat on Thursday, the Itar-Tass news agency reported.

The Kremlin press service has announced that Putin in his message of condolence emphasized "This is a grievous loss for the Palestinian leadership, for all Palestinians."

The message points out that Arafat "dedicated his entire life to the just cause of the Palestinian people, to the struggle for the exercise of their inalienable right to establish an independent state co-existing with Israel in peace within safe and recognized borders."

Putin also said in the message that the contribution made by the head of the Palestinian National Authority to the strengthening of Russo-Palestinian friendly relations is highly appreciated in Russia.

Meanwhile, the Russian president expressed heart-felt condolence to the Yasser Arafat family, to the Palestinian leadership, and to the entire Palestinian people, the news agency said.

Arafat died at the Percy Military Training Hospital in Clamart,France, at 3:30 am local time (0230 GMT) on Thursday.

Source: Xinhua