Arafat in 145;reversible coma146;

Palestinian envoy to France, Leila Shahid denied Arafat 75 was brain dead and said he was in a 8216;8216;reversible coma8217;8217;.

But back home, 14 Palestinian factions met in a show of unity meant to avoid strife in a possible power vacuum. Some of Arafat8217;s powers, over security and financing, have already been handed to Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie, a leading moderate.

Palestinian officials refused to discuss funeral preparations openly, but Arafat has said he wanted to be buried in Jerusalem. Israel wants Arafat, admired by Palestinians but reviled by many Israelis, to be buried in the Gaza Strip.

8216;8216;Jerusalem is a city where Jews bury their kings. It8217;s not a city where we want to bury an Arab terrorist, a mass murderer,8217;8217; Israeli Justice Minister Yosef Lapid told Channel 10 television.

The 14 Islamic and secular Palestinian groups which have waged the uprising against Israel put up a united front at a meeting in the Gaza Strip. 8216;8216;We are people looking for freedom, not fighting tribes,8217;8217; said senior Islamic Jihad official Mohammed al-Hindi, who emerged from hiding for the meeting.

European Union leaders meeting in Brussels, underlined the need to press on with peace moves with or without Arafat.

8216;8216;Europe will continue to make every possible effort to ensure that the Palestinian state becomes a reality,8217;8217; EU foreign policy Chief Javier Solana said. 8212;Reuters