Palestinian leader on the verge of death

&to=http://english.pravda.ru/main/2002/09/24/37141.html' target=_blank>Yasser Arafat has lapsed into a coma in French hospital, a senior Palestinian official said Thursday, a day after the Palestinian leader was rushed to intensive care following a sharp deterioration in his health.

The official would not say when Arafat lost consciousness. Two Arafat aides denied he was in a coma, but the senior Palestinian with close access to the medical team insisted the Palestinian leader was comatose, reports Boston Globe.