Syrian Arab News Agency
Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, President of the Palestinian National Authority Mahmoud Abbas, Turkmenistan president Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov Vietnamese leaders – including Party general secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng, Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng, and National Assembly chairman Nguyễn Sinh Hùng – also expressed condolences; some lauded Chavez's achievements. Memorial services were scheduled to be held in Ramallah and other cities in the West Bank and senior Palestinian officials paid their respects at the Venezuelan Embassy in Ramallah. In Gaza City streets were decorated with Venezuelan flags and posters of Chavez. Hamas, the "de facto" government of the Gaza Strip, lauded Chávez as a "great leader"; The Syrian Arab News Agency paid homage to Chávez for taking "an honourable stance regarding the conspiracy against Syria". Iran declared a day of national mourning.