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Arafat Critical; Vital Organs Functioning
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Nov 9, 12:31 PM (ET)
By JOHN LEICESTER
(AP) Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat pauses after meeting Jordanian doctors at his battered compound in...
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PARIS (AP) - Yasser Arafat's condition deteriorated dramatically overnight as his coma deepened, but the Palestinian foreign minister said Tuesday he is "still alive" and his brain, heart and lungs are working.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath said the 75-year-old Arafat was in critical condition. Shaath spoke after top Palestinian officials went to the hospital outside Paris where Arafat has been for nearly two weeks.
At a news conference in Paris, Shaath said the Palestinian leadership wanted to end rumors and speculation about Arafat's health. Media reports have speculated that Arafat had either died or was brain dead.
Shaath, referring to reports that Arafat might be removed from life support, said the possibility of euthanasia has been "ruled out."
"We don't have a full understanding of why his state has deteriorated, which means we don't have a full diagnosis," Shaath said. He said Arafat's long confinement at his headquarters in the West Bank contributed to his deterioration.
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