Arafat recovering but cause of decline in health unexplained

AN ailing Yasser Arafat was in the fourth day of emergency treatment yesterday at a French military hospital specialising in blood disorders, but the cause of his precipitous decline in health remained unexplained.

Palestinian officials say their leader's condition has improved markedly since he was rushed from his battered Ramallah headquarters in the West Bank to Paris on Friday and that he does not suffer from leukaemia or cancer. However, that has not been publicly confirmed by French physicians involved in his treatment.

On Sunday, Palestinians said, Mr Arafat was healthy enough to telephone colleagues, read telegrams from world leaders, and eat a normal breakfast.