The Palestinian President, Yasser Arafat, is in Paris undergoing treatment for a blood disorder.
The disorder has been described by one of his doctors as possibly life-threatening.
There is speculation he may be suffering from leukaemia, but his condition has not yet been diagnosed.
Mr Arafat, 75, arrived at an airbase southwest of the French capital and is being treated at a nearby military hospital.
The aircraft landed later than scheduled because, according to a French defence official, it had to skirt Israeli airspace.
