Frail Arafat Arrives in France

A frail Yasser Arafat arrived in France today for urgent medical treatment, with many of his supporters fearing he will never return to the Palestinian territories.

After sunrise the Palestinian leader boarded a Jordanian military helicopter outside his compound in the West Bank town of Ramallah, where he has been a virtual prisoner for the last two years. Wearing a grey fur hat and an olive-coloured jacket, and looking pale and tired, he tried to smile as dozens of bodyguards and supporters chanted: "With our spirit and our blood, we will redeem you, Abu Amar." Abu Amar is Mr Arafat's nom de guerre. The Palestinian prime minister, Ahmed Qureia, also bade him farewell.

Blood tests reveal Mr Arafat has a low platelet count. Doctors say more tests are needed to find out the cause of his illness but have ruled out leukaemia as a diagnosis. Ashraf Kurdi, his personal physician, said there was no immediate threat to his life. "His condition is good, his spirits are high."

Another aide, Mohammad Rashid, told Reuters the Palestinian leader appeared in better health, but said the next few days would be decisive. "The president looked much better than yesterday and his condition is stable but the doctors will say more in France. The next 72 hours are very crucial."

At daybreak, two camouflaged Jordanian military helicopters landed on the rain-slicked car park outside Mr Arafat's headquarters. Overnight, bulldozers had cleared a makeshift landing pad in the courtyard, pushing aside wrecked cars and rubble, reminders of previous Israeli military raids.

The helicopter flew Mr Arafat to the Jordanian capital, Amman, where he was transferred to a French hospital aircraft. Reuters reported the Palestinian leader as telling his aides before boarding the jet: "God willing, I will come back."