Talks to plan Arafat's funeral
2004-11-09 21:47
Jerusalem - Israeli and Palestinian officials will begin talks overnight to discuss funeral arrangements for Yasser Arafat, a senior Israeli official told AFP on Tuesday.
"The first contacts should take place in the night with the aim of reaching an agreement on the organisation of the funeral for Yasser Arafat," the official said on condition of anonymity.
No official announcement on the death of the Palestinian leader would be made until "an agreement is reached on his burial" the source added.
Palestinian foreign minister Nabil Shaath denied a claim by a fellow cabinet minister on Tuesday that Arafat has died in a French military hospital but said he was very ill.
Asked about an eventual burial in Ramallah, the West Bank town where Arafat's battered Muqataa leadership compound is located, the official said Israel had not yet given the go-ahead.
"That issue has not yet been decided, and there are differences of opinion among Israeli officials on that point," the official said.
He recalled that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has ruled out the possibility that Arafat could be buried in either Jerusalem or its suburbs.
A senior foreign ministry official hinted on Tuesday that the Jewish state would likely not oppose the burial of Arafat in Ramallah.
Earlier, the head of Arafat's office, Tayeb Abdelrahim, told reporters in Ramallah that should Arafat die, 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.
