Palestinians make plans for Arafat funeral

WITH Yasser Arafat in "the final phase of his life", the Palestinian leader's political heirs completed his burial arrangements yesterday and made plans for a funeral as soon as tomorrow.

An Islamic cleric read from the Koran at the Paris military hospital bedside of the 75-year-old symbol of the Palestinian cause, who was in a deep coma, on life support, with bleeding in the brain and problems with other vital organs, officials said.

Palestinian leaders accepted an offer from Egypt to host the main funeral in Cairo - a site less problematic for foreign dignitaries - before Mr Arafat is buried at his sandbagged headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Bulldozers pushed aside rubble and hauled away piles of wrecked cars to prepare the compound - built as a police base by the British 60 years ago - for the burial. Officials said they believed it would take place on Friday, implying a medical decision may be taken on Mr Arafat's life.

"It was decided that the body will be brought to Cairo and...will lie in state," Palestinian Cabinet Minister Saeb Erekat said. "After that, the body will be flown from Cairo to Ramallah."

Palestinian envoy to France Leila Shahid said cleric Taisser Bayoud Tamimi, who prayed at Mr Arafat's bedside yesterday, came to Paris to accompany Mr Arafat "in the final phase of his life."

Mr Arafat was "in a critical state" after a "complication in the state of all of his vital organs" and his coma "seems difficult to come out of", she said. "The reality is that he is in the hands of God."

A French hospital spokesman, General Christian Estripeau, said Mr Arafat's death "could be a question of hours, or, perhaps, days."

After that, Palestinian parliament speaker Rauhi Fattouh will become temporary president of the Palestinian Authority, leaders of Mr Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and Fatah movement decided. Under Palestinian law, the speaker would be president for 60 days, until new elections are held.

Mr Arafat controlled three top jobs - head of the PLO, head of Fatah and president of the Palestinian Authority.

Mr Erekat said immediately after Mr Arafat's burial, the 18-member PLO Executive Committee would decide on a new PLO chief. It is believed the PLO's number two, Mahmoud Abbas, would win the vote, giving him the legitimacy to take the reins of power. Mr Abbas, known as Abu Mazen, has been acting as caretaker leader, along with Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia.

The decision, meanwhile, by Palestinian leaders to bury Mr Arafat at Ramallah defused a potential conflict with Israel by dropping a demand for a Jerusalem burial.

Israel's prime minister Ariel Sharon said he would go along with the plan. Israel has pushed for a Gaza burial, but the Palestinians wanted Jerusalem. Palestinians see Mr Arafat's Ramallah headquarters - his virtual prison for the past three years - as a symbol of his resistance.

Burial there is less politically sensitive for Israel. Israeli Interior Minister Avraham Poraz said Israel would permit a "respectful" funeral and be careful not to "upset" Palestinian feelings.