CLAMART, France (AFP) - Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat slipped closer to death, falling into what doctors described as a deeper coma before a delegation of top Palestinian figures came to visit his bedside at a French military hospital.
After several days during which Arafat`s condition was described as stable, the spokesman for the army`s medical service said it deteriorated overnight and that the "state of coma which led to his admission to the intensive care unit became deeper this morning."
"This marks a significant step towards a development whose prognosis is doubtful," said Christian Estripeau.
The turn for the worse came as four senior Palestinian leaders arrived to see the 75-year-old figurehead at the Percy hospital in Clamart, outside Paris, overriding objections from his wife Suha who has accused them of wanting to hasten her husband`s death.
Prime minister Ahmed Qorei, acting Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) chief Mahmud Abbas, foreign minister Nabil Shaath and parliamentary speaker Rawhi Fattuh were expected to be taken to Arafat`s bedside.
They were driven to Clamart after holding talks described as "political" with French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier, and in the afternoon they had an appointment with President Jacques Chirac.
A press conference was scheduled for 6.00 pm (1700 GMT).
The delegation`s arrival in Paris came against the background of a bitter quarrel with Suha Arafat, who has used France`s strict privacy laws to control access to her husband and severely limit information about his health.
Arafat, who has come to symbolise the Palestinian struggel for nationhood, has been in a coma since last Wednesday, although there have been conflicting reports over whether it is possible he may recover.
The row broke out when Suha made an emotional outburst Monday on al-Jazeera television urging the delegation to stay away and accusing them of "coming to Paris to try and bury Abu Ammar (Arafat`s nom de guerre). I ask you to look at the extent of the plot."
Palestinian officials said they were astonished by Suha`s remarks, which drew widespread criticism in the West Bank and Gaza. Arafat`s wife is not a popular figure in the Palestinian territories, where she is accused of having led a privileged lifestyle in Paris instead of sharing her husband`s ordeal.
"She has personal demands, she seeks personal privileges, there is no other explanation," said Yasser Abed Rabbo, a member of the PLO`s executive committee.
"Arafat is not owned by a small family. He is for all the Palestinian people and we pray to God that he comes back safe to achieve his dream of a Palestinian state," said the head of Arafat`s office Tayeb Abdelrahim.
"Nobody can prevent the leadership from inquiring about the health of the president," he said.
In Israel there was widespread speculation that the fuss over the visit was also linked to the question of access to Arafat`s personal fortune when he dies, with the Palestinian leadership anxious that Suha does not have a controlling hand.
"Arafat has enormous sums of money at his disposal, and any difficulties with respect to a leadership transition in the Palestinian camp are related to that money," said Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom.
Arafat was airlifted from his headquarters in Ramallah on October 29 and flown to Paris, where doctors are trying to diagnose a mysterious blood disorder. His condition deteriorated suddenly last Wednesday when he slipped into the coma and was admitted to intensive care.
Cautious hopes have been expressed that Arafat`s departure from the scene will create an opening in the moribund Middle East peace process, especially if newly-reelected US President George W. Bush decides to re-invest political energy in the problem.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell said he was "impressed by the manner in which the Palestinian leaders back in the territories have been discussing among themselves and how they move forward ... A lot depends on what (Palestinian) leadership will emerge eventually."
11/09/2004 - 13:17 GMT - AFP