The French Health Minister says there is no reason to suspect poisoning in the death of Yasser Arafat.

PARIS (AFP) - French Health Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said that there was no reason to suspect poisoning in the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in a Paris hospital last week, in response to a question during a French radio interview.

He was speaking in the wake of comments earlier by the Palestinian representative in France Leila Shahid, who said she thought it was possible that Arafat could have been poisoned.

“It is quite possible that he was poisoned because they (the Israelis) have poisoned others. I cannot tell you that, medically, we have any proof,” she said.

The fearless international media, who normally dig like crazed gophers for every little bit of dirt they can find on world leaders (especially US world leaders), are strangely reluctant to ask the obvious question: did Arafat die of complications from HIV/AIDS?