Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has been in a coma for several hours and now in critical condition, Arafat's senior aides said on Thursday.

Earlier reports said Arafat was rushed to an intensive care unit on Wednesday and had lost consciousness for three times over the past 24 hours.

The reports also quoted Palestinian officials as saying his transfer to intensive care "does not mean his life is in danger" and "he is tired but his condition is stable."

The doctors did not immediately comment on Arafat's latest condition.

Arafat, symbol of the Palestinian cause for four decades, flied Friday to Paris for treatment from his headquarters in Ramallah inthe West Bank, where he had been confined by Israel for nearly three years.