French President Jacques Chirac headed for a

military hospital outside Paris on Thursday morning, paying tribute to late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and showing France's willingness to boost the Middle East peace process.

"I have learned with emotion of the death of President Yasser Arafat, first president of the Palestinian Authority," Chirac said in a statement, a copy of which was sent to Xinhua.

He described Arafat as "a man of courage and conviction, who for 40 years incarnated the Palestinians' fight for recognition of their national rights."

"To the Palestinian people, at this moment of mourning I want to express the friendship of France and of the French people," he said.

Chirac hoped that Arafat's death can unite all Palestinians, saying "it is by remaining united that they will remain faithful to Yasser Arafat's memory and bring about the ideal to which he had devoted his existence."

France and other European Union members will firmly abide by their commitments "in favor of two states -- a viable, peaceful and democratic Palestinian state, and the state of Israel," the president noted.

He said the roadmap peace plan, approved by Arafat, "opens a perspective" in which the two states live "side by side in peace and security."

The international community should play its full role for the implementation of the plan, Chirac added.

Arafat, 75, died at the Percy military hospital at 3:30 am (0230 GMT) local time on Thursday. The funeral will be held on Friday in Cairo, Egypt, after his body is airlifted from France.

Source: Xinhua