French tests conclude Arafat did not die of poisoning

Reuters 2013-12-04

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French scientists conclude Yasser Arafat did not die of poisoning.

The newly-released findings contradict a Swiss report that the former Palestinian leader probably was killed by radioactive polonium.

On Tuesday, Arafat's widow - Suha - who contends her husband's death was a political assassination - disputed the French results.

SOUNDBITE: Suha Arafat, Yasser Arafat's widow

"You can imagine how much I am shaken by the contradictions between the findings of the best experts in Europe in this domain."

Arafat - the longtime leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization - or P.L.O. - signed the 1993 Oslo interim peace accords with Israel and then led an uprising after talks broke down in 2000.

He died at the age of 75 - in a French hospital in 2004 - four weeks after he became sick after eating.

The official cause of death was a stroke - but - at the time - French doctors were unable to find the cause of his illness and no autopsy was carried out

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