The head of the Political Department in the Palestine Liberation Organization said Friday no committee was formed to succeed ailing Yasser Arafat.  Farouk Kaddoumi was quoted by Tunisia's daily al-Sabah as saying "reports about the formation of a three-man committee to take over rule from Arafat are simply rumors aimed at distressing and confusing the Palestinian people." | Not that they aren't already. |
He said the political vacuum which would occur in the advent of Arafat's disappearance would be filled by the Palestinian institutions which are in charge of handling the affairs of the Palestinian people. | "Hamas, Hezbollah, Fatah, etc.." |
"The Central Committee of the PLO's mainstream Fatah movement and the organization's Revolutionary Council will be summoned to take the necessary decisions if the need arises," Kaddoumi added. | Cleaning their guns as we speak. |
He stressed that "in any case, the energies of our people will always be focused on combating Israeli occupation and building the independent Palestinian state." The president of the Palestinian Authority arrived at a military hospital in a suburb of Paris Friday for more profound examinations and tests after his health deteriorated dramatically in the past days. Arafat is believed to be suffering blood problems and unconfirmed reports said he might have leukemia. |