Arafat's health suffers setback - envoy

1.00pm

PARIS - Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's health has suffered a setback and doctors treating him in France are carrying out more tests to discover why, Palestinian envoy Leila Shahid told Reuters on Wednesday.

"There is a setback in Abu Ammar's health. The doctors are carrying out tests to try to explain why this happened," she said, using Arafat's nom de guerre and without giving further details of his condition.

She said his life was not in any immediate danger and there had also been several positive developments on the 75-year-old's health.

French doctors had said on Tuesday Arafat was responding to treatment and ruled out leukaemia, though aides said the Palestinian leader could remain in a French military hospital for several more weeks.

He was airlifted out of his Ramallah compound in the West Bank last week with severe stomach pains, diarrhoea and vomiting.

"Obviously in his case, there could be setbacks at times and this is a setback," said Shahid, the Palestinian envoy to Paris.

"Tomorrow the doctors will give a very clear and direct explanation and report on what is happening."

Arafat earlier sent his congratulations to US President George W Bush on his re-election.

"He hopes that Bush's second term will be an important opportunity for Bush to secure the requirements for peace in the Middle East and to guarantee the just national rights of the Palestinian people," senior aide Mohammad Rashid said in Paris.

- REUTERS