Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat flew to Paris for treatment of a serious illness Friday. At daybreak Friday, Arafat, wearing a gray fur hat and an olive-colored jacket, was helped into a Jordanian military helicopter outside his headquarters. He was accompanied by his wife, Suha, 42, who had rushed to his side from exile in Paris. "I will be back soon, God willing. I'll see you soon," Arafat told aides during a stopover at a Jordanian military base, according to Ata Kheiry, deputy chief of the Palestinian mission in Jordan. Blood tests have revealed Arafat has a low platelet count, but doctors said they need to run more tests to find the cause. In lifting its travel ban, Israel promised it would allow Arafat to return. From Ramallah, Arafat was flown to a Jordanian military base, and from there transferred to a French hospital plane. He was to arrive in Paris around midday Friday. --MORE 1207 Local Time 0907 GMT
