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Sick Arafat heads to Paris, cancer suspected
Yasser Arafat, badly weakened by what doctors believe
may be leukemia, was to fly to Paris for treatment on Friday, leaving his
besieged West Bank headquarters for the first time in more than two years.
The 75-year-old president and former guerrilla leader, who has for decades symbolized the conflict with Israel for a Palestinian state, agreed to the move at the urging of an international team of doctors, old comrades and his family. A senior Palestinian official told Reuters that Arafat was suspected to be suffering from leukemia, a cancer of the blood that can be fatal. One of the doctors treating Arafat earlier said the disease had probably been ruled out but that tests showed him to have an abnormally low count of blood platelets -- which can be caused by leukemia or many other illnesses. Arafat agreed to go to France after Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, his long-time foe, said he would let him back afterwards. Israel had previously said that if Arafat left his compound in Ramallah it would not guarantee his return.
The death of a leader whom Israel and its U.S. ally see as an obstacle to peace could also shuffle the cards in the Middle East conflict as the United States heads into a presidential election on Tuesday. Arafat, short, stubble-bearded and usually seen in his trademark black-and-white Arab headdress, has named no successor since emerging from exile under interim peace accords. He has not appointed an acting president to cover during the treatment. WEAK A thin and weak-looking Arafat, dressed in pajamas and a ski hat, smiled and joked with medics in the first few seconds of film footage released since his condition worsened drastically late on Wednesday. His wife Suha, who lives in Paris, hurried to his bedside for the first time in four years. A helicopter was due to carry Arafat to Jordan early on Friday and from there he would be brought to Paris aboard a jet sent by French President Jacques Chirac. European countries have resisted U.S. and Israeli pressure to sideline Arafat. The ex-guerrilla, loved by most of his people and reviled by many Israelis, has had stomach pains since last week. After his health took a dramatic turn for the worse, officials said he had been slipping in and out of consciousness, though on Thursday he had also been able to eat, talk and say prayers. Jordanian doctor Ashraf al-Kurdi told reporters he did not believe Arafat had leukemia. But later Kurdi was quoted by the BBC as saying Arafat would be tested for leukemia when he reached Paris. Should Arafat die, parliamentary speaker Rawhi Fattouh would replace him as Palestinian Authority president for a 60-day period during which elections would be held. In Washington, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said he hoped Arafat would get the treatment he needed to recover but, in a small but telling sign of U.S. disregard, avoided answering a question on whether he wished Arafat a speedy recovery.
Sharon has said that with Arafat in power, Israel has no negotiating partner, forcing him to go it alone to "disengage" from conflict with the Palestinians. Israel accuses Arafat of fomenting violence after peace talks collapsed four years ago, an allegation he denies. Arafat shared a Nobel Peace prize with Israeli leaders Yitzhak Rabin and
Shimon Peres, but bloodshed swiftly followed failed peace talks in 2000.
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