[Bill Hemmer, Cnn Anchor:] The body of Syrian President Hafez Assad is now being taken to his hometown for burial. Officials from around the world have joined the Syrian people today in paying their final respects. More now on the day-long ceremony. CNN's Mike Hanna live from Damascus with more Mike.
[Mike Hanna, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, at the moment, the body of President al-Assad is leaving Damascus. It is now on an aircraft taxiing along the tarmac at Damascus Airport. It will go from here to an airport near the home village of Qardaha, where President al-Assad will be buried alongside his eldest son, Basil, who died in 1994. This aircraft that you're seeing now will have a full military escort for the short journey to the airport near the coastal and very mountainous village of Qardaha, the humble village where President al- Assad was born 69 years ago. But the funeral proceedings began earlier in the day, some eight hours ago, with a procession through the streets of Damascus. Tens of thousands of people lined the route to pay their last respects to President Assad. And once the procession through the city had been completed, the body laid in state in what is called the "People's Palace" for a number of hours. And there in the People's Palace, large numbers of dignitaries came to pay their last respects to President al-Assad and commiserate with his son and his likely heir, Bashar al-Assad. Among those who came to pay their respects, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who had a brief conversation with the heir apparent of Bashar Assad. Here, too, were the chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Yasser Arafat, an old foe of President Assad. Also here, old friends of the late president, such as the Iranian leader, Mohammed Khatemi. So certainly the entire Arab community, the entire Arab world, as well as many international figures, came here to pay their last respects. And his coffin was then carried out of the People's Palace, was once again walked down the steps and put on a transport to be driven out to the airport. This his final drive, his final walk along the streets of Damascus. Now, the coffin is in the aircraft, the airplane about to take off from Damascus Airport as President al-Assad nears the end of his final journey home. Back to you.
[Hemmer:] All right, Mike Hanna, live in Damascus, thanks.