Russia Rules Arafat’s Death Not Caused By Radiation

MOSCOW (AP) — The chief of Russia's medical and biological agency says its probe into the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has found no indication of radioactive poisoning.

Russia's state news agencies quote Vladimir Uiba, the head of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency, saying that its research has found that Arafat's death nine years ago was "natural and not caused by radiation."

Teams of scientists from France, Switzerland and Russia were asked to determine whether polonium, a rare and extremely lethal substance, played a role in Arafat's death in a French military hospital in 2004. Palestinians have long suspected Israel of poisoning him, which Israel denies.

A Swiss lab report said that Arafat was probably poisoned by polonium, but a French study has ruled it out.

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