The four officials -- Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei, Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath, acting Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) leader Mahmoud Abbas and Parliament Speaker Rawhi Fattuh -- arrived in Paris late Monday evening. They held talks with French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier earlier Tuesday.

They left the site of the French Foreign Ministry without any declaration.

Later, they were to meet with French President Jacques Chirac in the company of Nasser al-Qidwa, permanent representative of the Palestinian Authority to the United Nations and Yasser Arafat's nephew, and Palestinian representative in Paris, Leila Shahid.

Earlier Tuesday, the spokesman of the Percy military hospital declared that Arafat's condition has worsened overnight and he is in deeper coma.

"The state of health of President Yasser Arafat deteriorated onthe night of November 8 to 9, 2004. The state of coma which led to his admission to the intensive care unit became deeper this morning," Gen. Christian Estripeau, the chief doctor treating Arafat, read a statement outside Percy hospital at Clamart near Paris.

"This marks a significant step towards a development whose prognosis is doubtful," he said.

Arafat, 75, was hospitalized on Oct. 29 due to blood disorder.