'Agreement' on Arafat's funeral
2004-11-09 22:20
Gaza City - Israeli and Palestinian officials have reached an agreement in principle on funeral arrangements for the ailing Yasser Arafat, a Palestinian official said on Tuesday on condition of anonymity.
"Senior Palestinian and Israeli officials have reached an agreement in principle on the arrangements to be made after the death of president Arafat," said the official.
He refused to give further details about the agreement, and in particular whether Israel had given the go-ahead for the Palestinian leader to be buried in his battered Muqataa compound in the West Bank town of Ramallah.
Earlier, a senior Israeli official, who asked not to be named, said the two sides would hold talks on the issue "in the night".
No official announcement on Arafat's eventual death would be made until "an agreement is reached on his burial", the Israeli source added.
Palestinian foreign minister Nabil Shaath denied a claim by a fellow cabinet minister on Tuesday that Arafat had died in a French military hospital, but said he was very ill.
Asked about an eventual burial in Ramallah, the Israeli official said the Jewish state had not yet given the go-ahead.
Jerusalem ruled out
"That issue has not yet been decided, and there are differences of opinion among Israeli officials on that point," said the official.
He recalled that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had ruled out the possibility that Arafat could be buried in Jerusalem or its suburbs.
A senior foreign ministry official hinted on Tuesday that the Jewish state would be likely to oppose the burial of Arafat in Ramallah.
Earlier, the head of Arafat's office, Tayeb Abdelrahim, told reporters in Ramallah that if Arafat died, he would be laid to rest in the West Bank town at the Muqataa, where Israel kept him under virtual house arrest for nearly three years.
"In case the worst will happen, all arrangements will take place at the Muqataa," Abdelrahim said, tears in his eyes.
