Palestinian leaders choose Muqataa as Arafat burial site

Earlier Tuesday, Palestinian leaders decided they would seek to bury Arafat at his sandbagged West Bank headquarters, the Muqataa, and turn it into a shrine.

But the official refused to give further details on the deal, especially whether Israel had given the go-ahead for Arafat to eventually be buried in the Muqataa.

In Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said the U.S. "remains ready to engage the Palestinian leadership as the Palestinians define that leadership.

"We will see what happens in the days ahead, but our commitment to the two-state solution on the basis of the 'road map' ... remains intact," he said. "The president's vision is of two states living side by side in peace.

"We know (Arafat) is gravely ill. There has been no confirmation of his demise yet. We will watch and wait and keep the Palestinian people and Arafat in mind at this difficult time."

Meanwhile, the 13 main Palestinian factions also held an emergency meeting Tuesday to discuss arrangements to follow an official announcement that the president has died, an Islamic Jihad leader said.

The choice of the Muqataa appeared to defuse possible confrontation with Israel. Palestinian officials initially said they would insist on a Jerusalem burial, an option Israel has ruled out, saying it wants Arafat buried in the Gaza Strip, where other members of his family are buried.

Asked about a Ramallah burial, an Israeli official said the Jewish state had not yet given the go-ahead: "That issue has not yet been decided, and there are differences of opinion."

The burial site was chosen after a meeting of top Palestinian officials in the Muqataa.

A Palestinian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the decision was made by Premier Ahmed Qorei and the PLO's No. 2, Mahmoud Abbas, the current caretaker leaders.

The official said the Ramallah burial would be considered temporary, until Arafat could be reburied in Jerusalem.

Other arrangements would include sending Arafat's body directly from France, without a memorial service in another country. Some reports had speculated a memorial service could be held in Egypt, to allow easier access to foreign dignitaries.

As Arafat's health deteriorated, countries discussed how to pay their respects to a man revered as the father of the Palestinian nation and reviled as a terrorist.

The U.S. and Europe plan to refrain from sending heads of state to a funeral, opting instead to dispatch lower level officials, diplomats said Tuesday.

The U.S. is examining several options - from sending Powell to asking former presidents, such as Bill Clinton or Jimmy Carter to attend, a senior U.S. official said.

British Premier Tony Blair also would probably not attend the funeral, but a British official speaking on condition of anonymity said Foreign Secretary Jack Straw may attend, though that was not final.

European Union countries, meanwhile, were coordinating their approach, with diplomats saying that representation at the funeral would probably be at the ministerial level.

It was not immediately clear what plans Arab leaders had for the funeral, with most facing the dilemma of paying respects to a major Arab leader, while wary of entering Israeli-controlled territory.

"This doesn't have anything to do with Arafat and his stature," Gehad Auda, an Egyptian political analyst in the United Arab Emirates. "It has to do with Israel."

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak attended Yitzhak Rabin's funeral after his 1995 assassination, setting a precedent for traveling to Israel for a funeral. Jordan's King Abdullah, whose late father King Hussein also attended Rabin's funeral, would be able to go to the West Bank, Auda said.

Most Palestinians should have access to it in Ramallah, and it would be close to Jerusalem for visiting foreigners. - Agencies

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