Former Palestinian prime minister Mahmud Abbas urged yesterday all Palestinian forces to unite and pledged allegiance to ailing leader Yasser Arafat.
Abbas spoke after the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) held its first meeting without its chairman Arafat, who was transported to Paris Friday for emergency medical treatment.
"We call on all our people and factions to unite and work together in responsible fashion to protect our destiny and homeland," Abbas said.
He also wished Arafat a quick recovery and hoped the 75-year-old leader "would soon return to his people who still need him."
Rawhi Fattuh, speaker of the Palestinian parliament, said MPs would meet in an emergency session today to discuss the latest developments.
Physicians specializing in the treatment of leukemia were examining ailing Arafat yesterday to determine whether he suffers from the blood disorder, Palestinian sources said.
The 75-year-old Arafat has been sick for the past two weeks and blood tests have revealed he has a low platelet count -- a possible symptom of leukemia, other cancers or a number of other maladies.
Arafat received a transfusion of platelets shortly after being rushed to France for treatment at the Hopital d'Instruction des Armees de Percy, a military teaching hospital southwest of Paris that specializes in blood disorders and trauma care.
A Palestinian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was a strong possibility that Arafat was suffering from leukemia and that a team of French physicians specializing in the disorder had examined the Palestinian leader on Friday.
"It looks like it's leukemia," the official said. "They are trying to find out if in fact it is leukemia, and if so, what type. They are trying to see what is the best way to treat it."
Arafat could remain in France for four to five weeks, said the official, who was the first Palestinian to confirm that leukemia was suspected. Another Palestinian official said Arafat had undergone a CT scan and that the results were negative.
A contingent of around 18 Palestinian officials flew in with Arafat, including Mohammed Rashid, his financial adviser; Mohammed Dahlan, the former security chief in Gaza; chief of staff Ramzi Khoury and top aide Nabil Abu Rdeneh.
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