French experts rule out Arafat's poisoning: media

PARIS - French experts rejected allegations that late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was killed by polonium poisoning, local media reported on Tuesday.

Citing a statement issued by the court of Nanterre which opened an official inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Arafat's death, local broadcaster Europe1 said the investigation concluded the "the absence of poisoning" as "the test did not provide any argument proving the polonium-210 poisoning."

"Toxicological analysis eliminated a toxic cause of death," the report added.

Prosecutors' investigation came after Arafat's widow Suha Arafat asked in July to launch inquiry as new elements revealed the existence of the high toxic polonium-210 on Arafat's belongings, rising doubts that the leader was poisoned.

Arafat died in a Paris military hospital in November 2004 at the age of 75.