Palestinian PM seeks Report on cause of Arafat Death
By Fuad Rajab - Pakistan Times Foreign Correspondent

RAMALLAH (West Bank): Palestinian Prime Minster Ahmed Qorei has asked France to provide him with a medical report detailing the cause of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's death, his office said.

"We officially demand that the Palestinian leadership be informed about the medical report on the death of the president and the reason for his death," Qorei's office said in a statement.

Recap

Arafat died in a French military hospital last Thursday at the age of 75 after sinking into a coma, but no information has been released about the exact cause of death.

The veteran Palestinian leader was admitted to a French hospital on October-29 with a "blood disorder" and the lack of any clear explanation has sparked speculation that he was poisoned by Israeli agents.

Suspicions

His personal physician Ashraf al-Kurdi is among those who have called for an investigation into the death.

"I demand an official inquiry and an autopsy... so the Palestinian people can learn in all transparency what caused the death," he said, although Islam forbids autopsies out of respect for the sanctity of the dead.

He said his suspicions were aroused by the absence of any information about Arafat's health after he was admitted to hospital given that he had been conscious when he left his Ramallah compound.●