Acting Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas has called for an international investigation into the death of former leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Yasser Arafat."We demand an international inquiry like the one France demanded for (the murder of Lebanon's former premier) Rafiq Hariri to discover who killed Yasser Arafat," Abbas said in an interview with the AFP on Sunday.
Abbass remarks came days after the Palestinian Authority accepted reports issued by Swiss scientists, who said they found high levels of the radioactive element polonium in the remains of Arafats body.
The Swiss scientists, who tested samples taken from Arafat's corpse, said the tests showed "unexpected high activity" of polonium-210, which "moderately" supported a theory that he was poisoned to death with radioactive polonium.
On November 8, a Palestinian investigation panel blamed Israel for being behind Arafat's death as the "first, only and fundamental suspect."
In July 2012, experts at Lausanne University, Switzerland, said they had evidence Arafat might have been poisoned with polonium.
The investigation into Arafats mysterious death led to the exhumation of his body in November 2012 for further testing.
The decision to exhume Arafats body was made after French prosecutors opened a murder probe into his death in August 2012 following the discovery of high levels of polonium on his personal belongings.
Arafat died in 2004 at the age of 75 in a Paris military hospital.
The analysis at the time reported a rare blood disorder as the cause of death.
Many Palestinians believe that the Israeli regime was responsible for poisoning the late Palestinian leader. However, Tel Aviv has denied any connection to Arafats death.
By Press TV
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