MEXICO CITY, Nov 8 (AFP) - US Secretary of State Colin Powell on Monday said he was "impressed" with the way Palestinian leaders are discussing their people's future while Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is hospitalized in Paris.
"Since he went to hospital in Paris I have been impressed by the manner in which the Palestinian leaders back in the territories have been discussing among themselves and how they move forward," said Powell during a flight to Mexico City, where he will meet President Vicente Fox on Wednesday.
Powell said Arafat was "alive," although he is in "serious condition obviously and we will just wait to see what happens."
"A lot depends on what (Palestinian) leadership will emerge eventually," he added.
US President George W. Bush "has made it clear and I've made it clear that we are ready to engage as soon as it's appropriate to engage," Powell said.
Four leading Palestinian officials arrived in Paris Monday to visit the ailing Arafat as accusations by his wife, Suha Arafat, that they were planning a deathbed coup continued to swirl around them.
Arafat, 75, has been at the French military hospital in Clamart outside Paris since October 29.
Prime minister Ahmed Qorei, acting Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) chief Mahmud Abbas and foreign minister Nabil Shaath had initially scrapped the plans to visit Arafat after Suha Arafat accused them of trying to "bury him alive".
But they later decided that they would go ahead with the visit, and were joined by the speaker of parliament Rawhi Fattuh.
The health department of the French armed forces in Paris said earlier Monday that Arafat was in "stable condition" but that doctors have limited visits to his bedside.
Bush declared Arafat persona non grata two years ago and no US official has met or spoken with him since, although American diplomats are in routine contact with senior Palestinian officials.
US officials said earlier that no decision had been made on who, if anyone, would represent Washington at Arafat's funeral should he die.
Arafat's health triggered speculation on succession and the impact his death would have on the near moribund Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
The United States and Israel have accused Arafat of failing to curb, or even encouraging, attacks by Palestinian militants in Israel while he maintained strict control over the security services.
11/09/2004 03:34 GMT - AFP