US President George W. Bush saidon Thursday that his first reaction to news that Arafat appeared dead was "God bless his soul."

Bush said he second reaction was that "we will continue to workfor a free Palestinian state that's at peace with Israel," in response to a question about his initial reactions to the news, athis first post-election news conference in which he outlined his agenda for the second four-term at the White House.

Israeli reports said Thursday that Arafat was clinically dead, but Palestinian officials including Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei denied the report, saying Arafat was alive but in a coma. French officials also said Arafat is still alive, but "his clinical situation has become more complex".

Source: Xinhua