Jordan buried its longest-serving monarch yesterday and began to rebuild regional alliances after years of isolation from some of its neighbours.
The funeral of King Hussein, who died of cancer on Sunday, brought more than 40 world leaders to the Jordanian capital for an occasion that was both formal and deeply emotional.
The king's sons carried the coffin in procession through the Raghadan Palace before final burial in the family cemetery nearby.
President Clinton and his wife, Hillary, travelled overnight to attend the funeral and walked behind the funeral procession.
The President, Mrs McAleese, also attended, along with the Minister for the Marine, Dr Woods. Of the regional leaders attending, President Hafez al-Assad of Syria was the most significant, postponing a referendum at home to make a rare trip abroad.
After the funeral he lingered for a long time with Jordan's new King Abdullah and the two appeared to have an animated discussion. The new king also appeared to be popular with a number of Gulf Emirates. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates all sent senior representatives. Relations with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia appeared to be about to recapture at least some of their pre-Gulf War warmth.
Both governments have offered to supply Jordan with cheap oil in a sign that the end of the Hussein era may not be the gloom-laden portend many claim it to be.
Jordanians lined the streets of Amman in their tens of thousands to pay homage to their king.
Banners proclaimed him "King of our hearts forever". Children sang songs along the route, which rippled with emotion as the coffin was carried through the streets on a gun carriage.
The French Prime Minister, Mr Lionel Jospin, said the death of King Hussein marked a turning point in the Middle East. "I hope it will make the forces of peace more determined to bring their weight to bear in bringing about solutions in the region" he said.
Although King Abdullah's first big day in office was successful, a row with Iran threatens to overshadow his diplomatic triumphs. The Iranian foreign ministry demanded an explanation for comments attributed to King Abdullah.
He said Iraq "continues to be a threat to certain Gulf countries", a statement some Tehran newspapers said was ill-informed and offensive.