Arafat 'stable, feeling better'

2004-10-31 22:21

Paris - Ailing Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's condition is stable and curable, officials said on Sunday as French doctors ran further tests to determine whether he is fit to stay on as Palestinian Authority president.

"The doctors are happy because his situation is quite stable. He's eating a bit more, he's more active with his environment, he's speaking to people around him and he's well," said the Palestinian envoy in France, Leila Shahid.

In the West Bank, the Palestinian parliament and national security council met in emergency session, presenting a united front to the world amid fears that political chaos could ensue should Arafat be unable to fulfil his duties.

But top Arafat advisor Nabil Abu Rudeina tried to allay those fears, saying: "I can assure you that he is not suffering from leukaemia or any serious problem. His situation is curable, and we hope that he will recover soon."

Later, Abu Rudeina said Arafat was "reacting positively to the treatment he is receiving", and that he had been briefed on developments in the Palestinian territories in his absence.

Arafat - the symbol of the Palestinian struggle for statehood for 40 years - was dramatically evacuated from his Ramallah headquarters on Friday and flown to Paris aboard a French government jet to receive treatment.

Tests

The frail 75-year-old Palestinian leader was undergoing a battery of tests at the Percy military hospital in the southwestern Paris suburb of Clamart to determine the nature of what is believed to be a serious blood disorder.

French and Palestinian officials said a diagnosis of Arafat's condition would not likely be known until Wednesday.

In Ramallah, Palestinian foreign minister Nabil Shaath said Arafat had eaten his first meal since being admitted to hospital - corn flakes, tea and milk.

Another Arafat aide, Mohammed Rashid, said the Palestinian leader had spoken to finance minister Salam Fayad "to be assured that the salaries of Palestinian Authority civil servants would be paid before the end of Ramadan".

Shahid said Arafat had received numerous get-well messages from world leaders like Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Morocco's King Mohammed VI. French President Jacques Chirac spoke with Arafat's wife Suha.

One of Arafat's doctors told AFP last week that his white blood cells were destroying platelets, which are needed for blood clotting. Specialists said such symptoms could indicate a range of conditions, from a virus to cancer.

Arafat's doctors have barred most visitors. His wife keeps a constant vigil at his bedside.

French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier defended President Jacques Chirac's decision to allow Arafat to seek treatment in France, saying: "We have welcomed him. I think it's completely normal."

Negotiations

Barnier also delivered the message that Paris expected Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to make good on his pledge to allow Arafat to return home to Ramallah after being treated.

"I've heard the formal assurances given by the Israelis that Yasser Arafat will be able to return to Ramallah, and I think that is indeed the case," Barnier said in an interview with France Inter radio.

Sharon, who has long sought to sideline Arafat and has kept him a virtual prisoner in Ramallah for nearly three years, lifted the travel restrictions on Arafat and gave his word he would be able to return after being treated.

But Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, who has frequently called for Arafat's expulsion, made it clear that he wanted the Jewish state to be rid of the Palestinian Authority president permanently.

Sharon said on Sunday at the weekly Israeli cabinet meeting that he was prepared to open negotiations with a new Palestinian leadership "which is both serious and responsible", should one emerge.

But Abu Rudeina noted: "Israel should know that negotiations must be held with the legitimate representatives of the Palestinian people, meaning the democratically elected president of the Palestinian Authority."

Former Palestinian prime minister Mahmud Abbas is now acting chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and Arafat's Fatah faction.

A member of the Palestinian delegation in Paris said on condition of anonymity that Abbas was expected in the French capital on Wednesday.

- AFP