Ailing Arafat flies out to France

Yasser Arafat, badly weakened by what doctors believe may be leukaemia, was due to fly to Paris for treatment last night, leaving his besieged West Bank headquarters for the first time in more than two years.

The 75-year-old President and former guerrilla leader agreed to the move at the urging of an international team of doctors, old comrades and his family.

A senior Palestinian official said Arafat was suspected to be suffering from leukaemia, 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 tests showed him to have an abnormally low count of blood platelets - which can be caused by leukaemia 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 return after treatment. Israel had previously said that if Arafat left his compound in Ramallah it would not guarantee his return.

Arafat's slide into illness has raised fears of chaos among Palestinians, whose four-year-old uprising for a state has stalled.

The death of a leader whom Israel and the United States see as an obstacle to peace could shuffle the cards in the Middle East conflict.

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 the role during his treatment.

A thin and weak-looking Arafat, dressed in pyjamas and a ski hat, smiled and joked with medics in the first few seconds of film footage released since his condition worsened drastically on Thursday. His wife, Suha, and dozens of senior Palestinian officials arrived at his headquarters for the final arrangements. Suha Arafat lives in Paris and last saw her husband in 2001.

A helicopter was due to carry Arafat to Jordan and from there he would be taken to Paris on a jet sent by French President Jacques Chirac.

European countries have resisted US 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 yesterday he had also been able to eat, talk and pray.

Jordanian doctor Ashraf al-Kurdi told reporters he did not believe Arafat had leukaemia. But he was later quoted by the BBC as saying Arafat would be tested for leukaemia when he reached Paris.

Should Arafat die, parliamentary speaker Rawhi Fattouh would replace him as Palestinian Authority President for 60 days, during which time 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 sign of US disregard, avoided answering a question on whether he wished Arafat a speedy recovery.

Arafat's incapacitation or death would raise fresh questions about Sharon's unilateral plan for withdrawal from Gaza and parts of the West Bank next year, a move that has caused political turmoil in Israel.

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.

- REUTERS