Arafat Able to Endure More Tests

Tests on Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat showed digestive problems, but he has recovered sufficiently to undergo examinations that could not have been done when he was first rushed to France, an aide said Tuesday.

Leila Shahid, the Palestinian envoy to France, said tests showed an improvement in Arafat’s white blood cell count but also “persistent abnormalities” in indicators for digestive function. Initial tests had “confirmed an abnormal blood count, high white blood cell count and low platelet count and ruled out the diagnosis of leukemia,” she said.

“President Arafat’s condition has improved sufficiently for him to undergo tests that would not have been performed upon admission,” Shahid said, reading from a statement she said was drafted by officials at the French military hospital treating Arafat and released with his consent.

She did not say what the additional tests were.

Arafat, 75, who has been ill for three weeks, collapsed and briefly lost consciousness Oct. 27. Blood tests performed in the West Bank revealed a low count of blood platelets, which aid clotting. Doctors gave Arafat a platelet transfusion shortly after he was transferred Friday to a military hospital near Paris.

Israeli military intelligence said doctors had not completed their diagnosis but were considering the possibility that Arafat has either a viral stomach disorder that can be treated or some form of stomach cancer.

Palestinian officials said that their leader was feeling better since he arrived in France and that he did not suffer from cancer or any type of poisoning.