Palestinian officials tried to stamp out speculations on Yasser Arafat's health early Thursday, insisting the veteran leader was in stable condition and needed only several days to recover.

"He is in stable condition, but he needs more rest and more medical care," said Arafat's spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudeineh. He denied rumors that the Palestinian leader was in critical condition.

Several Palestinian officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said earlier Arafat was "very, very sick" and in extremely critical condition.

Palestinian cabinet minister Azzam al-Ahmad echoed Rudeineh's comments by saying there was neither improvement nor deterioration in Arafat's health, compared to his situation days go.
 
Arafat, 75, reportedly lost consciousness late Wednesday evening, and a team of doctors were urgently summoned to his bedroom.

Rudeineh denied reports that a three-man committee, including Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei, former prime minister Mahmoud Abbas and parliament speaker Salim al-Zaanoun, had been set up to run Palestinian affairs until Arafat recovers.

Scores of senior Palestinian officials arrived at Arafat's Ramallah compound after news of his deterioration became known, but no one except his doctors was allowed in.

Hundreds of Fatah activists and Ramallah residents also besieged the compound in a bid to seek accurate news of Arafat's health.

Arafat's wife, Suha, who lives in France, was also summoned andis expected to arrive Thursday.

Israeli high-ranking officials, who approved entry permits for all the doctors Arafat's office requested, said late Wednesday night that they will allow Arafat to go anywhere he chooses for treatment, either at home or any other places of the world.

One confidant said Arafat nevertheless preferred to remain at his Ramallah compound of Muqata because he feared Israel would not allow him to return if he left.

According to a bodyguard who was in the compound at the time, Arafat had been eating soup during a meeting with Qurei, Abbas and senior Palestinian official Yasser Abed Rabbo between 8 PM (06:00GMT) and 9 PM (07:00 GMT) when he started to vomit.

He was then brought to the clinic inside the compound, where he collapsed and was unconscious for about 10 minutes, the guard said.

Some Palestinian officials said Arafat has remained unconscious since then, others said he has been slipping in and out of consciousness, Still others said he was conscious, but delirious.

A Palestinian ambulance remained at Muqata all evening.

Arafat's two rooms in the compound have been equipped with medical equipment so that routine tests can be carried out there. The clinic contains X-ray and ultrasound machines as well as equipment for emergency resuscitation.

Arafat's health began deteriorating two weeks ago, but the cause of his illness has been unclear.

Palestinian officials said repeatedly that he was merely suffering a bout of flu, and a hospital official said on Tuesday that he was also suffering from a large gallstone.

Most people believed that his illness was exacerbated by conditions in Muqata where Israel has prevented him from leaving for over two years.

Two of Arafat's doctors denied speculations that he has stomach cancer, saying a blood test and a biopsy of tissue taken from his digestive tract showed he does not have cancer.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army began a major operation in the West Bank city of Jenin on Wednesday night in an effort to arrest suspected terrorists, due to accumulated warnings about planned attacks inside Israel.

(Xinhua News Agency October 28, 2004)