Nephew: ''No known poisons'' found in Arafat body

At a news conference in Paris, Nasser al-Kidwa related the death of Arafat to his long confinement by Israel. "I believe the Israeli authorities are largely responsible for what happened," he said, according to The AP.

Al-Kidwa added toxicology tests were conducted but "no poisons known to doctors were found." He also said that the files gave no clear diagnosis for the Palestinian president's death. (albawaba.com)

http://www.albawaba.com/news/index.php3?sid=289361&lang=e&dir=news

Toxicology tests outlined in Yasser Arafat's medical records did not find any known poisons, the late Palestinian leader's nephew said today, adding that the records gave no clear cause of death.

At a press conference in Paris, Nasser al-Kidwa, who is also the Palestinian ambassador to the UN, attributed some of the blame for his uncle's death to his long confinement at West Bank headquarters in Ramallah.

Around two hours after taking possession of medical files from French authorities, Mr Kidwa said: "I believe the Israeli authorities are largely responsible for what happened, at least because of the confinement of the late president to the compound in very bad conditions for three years."

The medical dossier has 558 pages, plus X-rays, he said, adding that he had not had time to read it all yet.

Mr Kidwa said toxicology tests were conducted and "no poisons known to doctors were found". However, he did not categorically rule out poisoning, saying "we don't have proof" that it was not a cause. "I am not asserting anything, but we are not in a position to exclude anything given the facts," he said.

It had been hoped that publicising the contents of Arafat's medical records would clear up the uncertainty around his death and end rumours in the Arab world that he had been poisoned by Israel.

Arafat died on November 11 in a military hospital outside Paris after two weeks of treatment.

Mr Kidwa added: "For the French authorities, medically, the file was considered closed. For us, and because of the lack of a clear diagnosis, a question mark remains and personally I believe that it will remain there for some time to come."

He promised that the Palestinian Authority would study the file to try to determine a cause of death. The authority has already formed an inquiry committee that includes doctors who treated Arafat in the past.

"The issue here is the right of the Palestinian people and our duty to reach in the future a final conclusion in this regard," said Mr Kidwa.

French officials have said that judicial authorities in France would have acted had they suspected wrongdoing - which is as far as officials can go, without violating medical privacy laws, toward saying that poisoning was not a cause.

Before his death, French doctors had disclosed that Arafat had a low count of platelets, which aid in blood clotting, a high white blood cell count, that leukaemia had been ruled out and that he was in a coma. Palestinian officials said he had a brain haemorrhage shortly before he died.

That is consistent with a variety of illnesses from pneumonia to cancer.

Arafat, who was 75, had been suffering from poor health for years. He flew to France for treatment on October 29.

His nephew took possession of the records this morning, despite objections from Arafat's widow, Suha.

Mr Kidwa collected the dossier on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, which has promised to make public the cause of Arafat's death.

Mrs Arafat, who also has taken possession of his medical records, had threatened a legal fight to prevent other family members from obtaining them.

Her lawyers said in a statement late yesterday that the Percy military training hospital that treated her husband "would alone face the consequences" if his medical records were released to any other family members.

"Madame Arafat fully understands the diplomatic and historic reasons that exist, but that does not mean the state should be able to ignore the law," the statement said.

Mr Kidwa downplayed her objections, saying "the Palestinian people have the right to know".

France has been left with a dilemma, caught between its medical privacy laws and its desire to ensure that the rumours about Arafat's death do not disturb the transition of power in the Palestinian Authority.

French law does not specify how closely related a family member must be to have access to medical information, and French officials said they had determined that Mr Kidwa qualifies as a close enough relative to have access to the files.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1357064,00.html

FRESHLY-ARMED with Yasser Arafat's weighty medical dossier, his nephew today pinned blame on Israel for the late Palestinian leader's death and refused to put an end to rumours of poisoning.

The files are inconclusive on the cause of Arafat's death and confirm that doctors found no known poisons, but "I believe the Israeli authorities are largely responsible for what happened," said Nasser al-Kidwa, who is also the Palestinian ambassador to the UN.

His accusation, at a Paris news conference two hours after French authorities gave him the files despite objections from Arafat's widow, could inflame suspicions among Palestinians that Israel was somehow to blame - if only by confining Arafat to his West Bank headquarters for the last three years of his life, as Al-Kidwa asserted.

He said he had no doubts that Arafat's still undisclosed illness was "connected to the conditions that the late president was living and suffering from ... This is a principal part of the issue."

The nephew acknowledged that he had not had time to read the 558-page file, plus X-rays, that he said would be provided to Palestinian leaders. They have promised to disclose the cause of Arafat's death and formed an inquiry committee that includes doctors who treated him before he was flown to a Paris-area military hospital where he died on Nov 11, aged 75.

Al-Kidwa said toxicology tests were conducted during Arafat's two-week stay in France but "no poisons known to doctors were found". He did not, however, categorically rule out poisoning - which again could fuel conspiracy theories in the Middle East that Arafat was murdered.

"This possibility could not be excluded," he said. "We are not excluding that, but we are not asserting that, because asserting that requires proof and we do not have the proof that suggests there was poison."

He promised that the Palestinian Authority would study the file to try to determine a cause of death, but also cautioned patience.

"For the French authorities, medically, the file was considered closed. For us, and because of the lack of a clear diagnosis, a question mark remains, and personally I believe that it will remain there for some time to come," al-Kidwa said.

"At some point the Palestinian people will know more facts. At some point the Palestinians will collectively reach a conclusion. At that point the matter will come to rest," he added.

French officials say judicial authorities here would have acted had they suspected wrongdoing - as far as officials can go, without violating medical privacy laws, toward saying that poisoning was not a cause.

Before his death, French doctors had disclosed that Arafat had a low count of platelets, which aid in blood clotting, a high white blood cell count, that leukemia had been ruled out and that he was in a coma. Palestinian officials said he had a brain haemorrhage shortly before he died.

That is consistent with a variety of illnesses from pneumonia to cancer. Arafat had been suffering from poor health for years before France flew him here on October. 29 for treatment after his condition deteriorated.

Al-Kidwa played down objections from Arafat's widow, Suha, about the French decision to give him the files.

"The Palestinian people have the right to know," he said.

Mrs. Arafat's lawyers had said in a statement late yesterday, before al-Kidwa got the dossier, that the Percy Military Training Hospital that treated her husband "would alone face the consequences" if it released the records to any other family members.

"Madame Arafat fully understands the diplomatic and historic reasons that exist, but that does not mean the state should be able to ignore the law," the statement said.

Her lawyers refused to comment further.

French law does not specify how closely related a family member must be to have access to medical information, and French officials said they had determined that al-Kidwa qualified as a close enough relative.

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,11472299%255E1702,00.html