A weakened Yasser Arafat broke his Ramadan fast at the urging of his doctors Tuesday, and was undergoing more medical tests, the Associated Press quoted aides as saying. Arafat's aides have insisted that the 75-year-old Palestinian leader only has a bad case of the flu, and is recovering. Doctors have urged Arafat to rest and break the dawn-to-dusk Ramadan fast, saying he needs liquids and must take his medication at regular intervals. For the first 11 days of Ramadan, Arafat refused, but on Tuesday broke the fast for the first time, said a confidant, Sakher Habash, who visited the Palestinian leader. Arafat was to undergo more testing Tuesday, including blood tests, an official close to the Palestinian leader said on condition of anonymity. Arafat has complained of stomach pains, but a first round of testing has found no problems, said one of Arafat's Palestinian doctors. Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia, who visited Arafat at his compound Tuesday, said Arafat is feeling better "He needs some time to recover completely but it's nothing dangerous," Qureia said.
