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11/02/2004:

"Doctors Say Arafat Improving, Rule Out Leukemia"

CLAMART, France (Reuters) - French doctors said on Tuesday Yasser Arafat was responding to treatment and ruled out leukemia, though aides said the Palestinian leader could remain in a French military hospital for several more weeks.

Arafat was well enough to follow the U.S. presidential election and had taken calls from heads of state and senior Palestinian officials, said aides in the southwestern Paris suburb where the 75-year-old leader is being treated.

Initial tests ``confirmed the abnormal blood count, high white blood cell count and low platelet count and ruled out a diagnosis of leukemia,'' Palestinian envoy to Paris Leila Shahid said in a statement read to journalists.

The statement, drawn up by doctors at the Percy military hospital and approved by Arafat, was the first by the hospital since his admission and broadly confirmed aides' comments.

It said there had been a ``general improvement'' in his condition over his first three days in hospital, which allowed doctors to perform more tests.

``Pathology tests have shown an improvement in his white blood cell count and persistent abnormalities in some biological constants concerning the digestive function,'' the statement said.

Full Article: nytimes.com