Doctors fly to Arafat's bedside

RAMALLAH - Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is in a very serious condition but was able to take part in Muslim morning prayers last night NZT, as a team of foreign doctors rushed to his Ramallah headquarters to carry out tests.

"He looked tired and weak, but he managed to pray," one official said of the 75-year-old ex-guerrilla who for decades has symbolised the Palestinian struggle for statehood. Arafat has had stomach pains since last week but his health took a dramatic turn for the worse yesterday.

His wife, Suha, headed home from France after years apart. "He is calling for his wife," an official said.

Arafat's slide into illness has raised fears of chaos among Palestinians. But his departure from the scene could also bring changes from Israel and the United States, who dub him an obstacle to peace. He has named no successor in the decade since leaving exile.

Palestinian leaders rushed to Arafat's Muqata compound where he has been penned by Israeli forces for more than two years. Arafat's spokesman denied an Al Jazeera report that he had appointed a three-man committee to act in his absence.

Palestinian officials have said Arafat has "stomach flu" and does not have stomach cancer. A hospital official said that Arafat was suffering from a large gallstone.

Medical sources said Arafat suffered spells of unconsciousness and at times appeared dazed and disoriented. He was unable to eat or drink without vomiting and was hooked up to an intravenous drip.

Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said: "We still do not know the exact reason [for his illness] - whether it is really a viral infection or a malignancy as some say."

Cabinet minister Azzam al-Ahmad said: "He is in a stable condition, but there is no improvement. He was joking with us. He needs more medication and tests."

Contingency plans have been made to shift Arafat to a hospital for treatment as teams of US, Egyptian and Jordanian doctors converge on Ramallah. Israeli officials said they would let Arafat seek treatment wherever he wanted at home or abroad, but the question of his return was "a separate issue after he recuperates".

- REUTERS