Palestinians ‘ready to work’ with anyUS administration

PARIS, Nov 3 (AFP) – The Palestinian Authority is ready to work with whoever emerges as the winner of the US presidential race as long as he is prepared to push forward the Middle East peace process, a senior adviser to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said Wednesday.

“We are ready to work with any American administration. The only thing we are interested in is seeing an administration that will work to advance the peace process … to allow the creation of a Palestinian state,” said Nabil Abu Rudeina.

Arafat, 75, is being treated for a blood disorder at a military hospital outside Paris, where he was flown from his headquarters in the West Bank last Friday.

Abu Rudeina said there was growing confidence about Arafat’s health after the first official medical bulletin on Tuesday ruled out leukaemia as the cause of his condition.

“Above all he’s suffering from overwork and exhaustion aggravated by the living conditions at his headquarters in Ramallah, as well as his age and a severe cold,” another Palestinian official said on condition of anonymity.

He added that Arafat would remain in hospital for at least two weeks.