Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon spoke with his Palestinian counterpart Ahmed Qurei on Thursday and agreed in principle to permit ailing Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to be flown abroad for medical treatment, an Israeli official said.

The official said on condition of anonymity that Qurei did not ask about whether Arafat would be allowed to return.

Israeli security officials, however, said that Arafat would be given permission to come back to the West Bank, in an apparent change of policy.

Israel has confined Arafat to his Muqata headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah for more than two years, and threatened to refuse his return once he leaves the compound.

On Thursday morning, Arafat's aides said that Arafat sent a message to his people that his condition was good and there was no reason to be worried, Army Radio reported.

Arafat's health began to deteriorate late Wednesday night and a group of doctors were examining his condition, Palestinian officials were quoted as saying.

Arafat, 75, reportedly lost consciousness and was said to be in critical situation.

Some Palestinian officials, however, denied that Arafat was in aserious condition, saying that the veteran leader was in stable condition and needed several days of rest to recover.

Palestinian legislator Hanan Ashrawi said that she was told that Arafat did his morning prayers and had some cereal and milk. But she said that she had not seen Arafat herself.

Sources told Xinhua on Thursday that Arafat's wife Suha, who lives in Paris, will return to Ramallah later in the day. Suha Arafat has not been in Ramallah since the outbreak of the Intifada (uprising) in Sept. 2000.

Source: Xinhua