A French military hospital jet carrying ailing Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat arrived at Villacoublay airbase southwest of Paris on October 29.

Arafat, who has been sick for the past two weeks and blood tests have revealed he has a low platelet count, will likely be taken to a nearby hospital for treatment by helicopter.

French President Jacques Chirac, now in a visit to Rome, said his country welcomed Arafat for urgent lifesaving treatment there.

From West Bank city of Ramallah, Arafat was flown to Jordanian military base, where he was transferred to a French hospital plane.

The French defense ministry said the French plane was forced to skirt Israeli airspace because of lack of authorization, adding more than 30 minutes to the expected four-hour flight time.

Arafat's senior adviser Nabil Abu Rudeina told the press in Ramallah that the weak leader was in a stable condition, but doctors had advised Arafat to receive follow-up checks abroad as they deemed it necessary.