 Tests on Yasser Arafat showed problems with his mentation digestion, but the Palestinian leader has recovered sufficiently to undergo examinations that could not have been done when he was first rushed to France, an aide said Tuesday.
| "Jean-Claude, I think we need to use a larger colonoscope!" |
Arafat, 75, felt well enough to follow the U.S. election, and over the past two days was able to talk with doctors, colleagues and heads of state, Palestinian officials said.
| Maybe Dubya can elicit the big one. |
Nevertheless, there was still no public information about the cause of his dramatic deterioration in health. 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 the French military hospital treating Arafat and released with his consent. "For the past 48 hours, he has been able to converse with his doctors and close relatives, colleagues and heads of state," she said.
| Did he give Suha the account numbers? |
Christian Estripeau, head of communications for French military health services, said doctors are still performing tests. "When we have the results, we can release them if the family authorizes it, if the president authorizes it," he said. |