 The Palestinian leadership is to send a delegation to Paris in an attempt to establish the cause of Yasser Arafat's death last week amid a growing belief among Palestinians that he was poisoned by Israel. The dispatch follows France's refusal to permit Palestinian officials to see Arafat's medical records on the grounds of confidentiality. The hospital says it will only give them to Arafat's widow, Suha, who has refused to reveal their contents. | The old sow might be willing to sell them, however. |
French authorities have said Arafat, 75, was not poisoned but they have not explained his death. "The conditions surrounding the death of President Yasser Arafat raise questions," said the Palestinian prime minister, Ahmed Qureia. Rumours that Arafat was poisoned took hold during the two weeks he was in France, with conflicting accounts emerging about the state of his health. They gained ground again after Arafat's personal physician, Ashraf Kurdi, told the Arab press he believed tests on the Palestinian leader's blood raised the possibility he was poisoned. Yesterday Le Monde quoted doctors as saying Arafat had suffered from an unusual blood disease and a liver problem. | It's not so unusual, it affects tens of millions around the world. You could ask the W.H.O. |
UPDATE: RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) The mystery of what killed Yasser Arafat may soon be solved. A Palestinian official says an envoy will head to Paris Friday to obtain Arafat's medical records. The French doctors who treated the Palestinian leader have not revealed what caused his death, citing privacy laws. But on Thursday, French authorities said they would release the files to Arafat's nephew, who is the Palestinian representative to the United Nations. The Palestinian Cabinet secretary has promised to disclose the "full details" of the report. | Ha, found a way around Suha. |
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