French Experts Rule Out Theory Arafat Died of Poisoning

French forensic tests have concluded that former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat did not die of poisoning, as had been suggested by an earlier report, a source who saw the conclusions of the report said on Tuesday.

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"The results of the analyses allow us to conclude that the death was not the result of poisoning," the source told Reuters, quoting from conclusions of a report by French forensic experts handed over to Arafat's widow Suha.

Swiss forensic experts said last month that results from their tests of samples taken from Arafat's body were consistent with polonium poisoning but were not absolute proof of the cause of death.

Arafat died in a French hospital in November 2004, four weeks after falling ill following a meal, suffering from vomiting and stomach pains.

The official cause of death was a massive stroke, but French doctors said at the time they were unable to determine the origin of his illness. No autopsy was carried out.

A lawyer for Suha Arafat said her legal team would do a counter-expertise and was confident it would show that the French findings would in fact support the Swiss conclusions.

"We have no doubt that the most comprehensive and thorough report that examined all aspects of this case remains the Swiss report," Saad Djebbar told Reuters.

The French report is not due to be published.