Much of the Arab world was in mourning after the death of King Hussein yesterday and offered support to his successor, King Abdullah, even as questions were raised over the future of the Middle East peace process without his father's presence.
President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, the only Arab country besides Jordan to make peace with Israel, announced three days of national mourning. Flags at all government establishments and embassies were lowered.
In a statement read out on state television, Mr Mubarak said he had received the news of King Hussein's death "with deep sadness and sorrow". He said the king was "an Arab leader who had dedicated his thought and life to serve his nation's causes and led his people through the most difficult ordeals over half a century".
Although Egyptian officials made it clear they were not worried about the stability of Jordan following King Hussein's death, many analysts say that without him Egypt is likely to play a more important role in the deadlocked peace negotiations.
"Mubarak is the only one left with the authority and weight to play a big role in the peace process. This is something that is not inherited, but built up over time," a senior Arab diplomat told Reuters yesterday.
On the eve of King Hussein's death, the Palestinian President, Mr Yasser Arafat, said that the king's absence would "create a political vacuum in the Middle East". Yesterday the Palestinian Authority announced a three-day mourning period.
In a statement, Mr Arafat described the king as "a wise and courageous statesman and leader, serving his people and the just causes of his nation, particularly the Palestinian people's cause to which he dedicated most of his time, thinking and efforts".
Mr Arafat went on to say that he hoped King Abdullah, who is married to a Palestinian, would "walk in the footsteps of his father."
Elsewhere in the region, condolences were sent from all sides. Despite Jordan's backing of Iraq during the Gulf War, Gulf states sent messages of support for the new king.
In Kuwait, whose relations with Jordan have been strained since the Iraqi invasion in 1990, the cabinet issued a statement expressing "deep sorrow and sadness over the death of His Highness King Hussein . . . after a life full of work and giving in all fields".
The United Arab Emirates announced a 40-day mourning period and said that government offices would close for three days, while in Bahrain an official statement said that "the Arab world has lost a big Arab leader who spent his life developing his country, serving the Arab world and playing a major role towards global security and peace."
Further afield in north Africa, President Liamine Zeroual of Algeria described King Hussein as "a pioneer defender" of Arab rights and offered his support to King Abdullah, while in neighbouring Tunisia, President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali said that "history will remember his fight for the building of his homeland . . . as well as the work he led incessantly in order to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East and in the world".