PARIS, Nov. 5 (Xinhuanet) -- Leila Shahid, spokeswoman for Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, said on Friday Arafat was not brain dead but was in a "reversible coma."

    "I can assure (you) that there is no brain death ... He is in a coma, we don't know the type but it's a reversible coma," Shahid told the private French radio station RTL.

    However, she admitted that Arafat "is at a critical juncture between life and death."

    There have been conflicting reports about the fate of the 75-year-old Palestinian leader who was airlifted to a military hospital near Paris a week ago.

    French and Israeli media reported Thursday Arafat had died, but both French medical officials and Palestinian officials have denied the reports. Enditem