French Government Says Arafat Was Not Poisoned.

Arab world doesn’t want to hear it.

PARIS (Reuters) - The French government insisted on Wednesday that Yasser Arafat was not poisoned and Le Monde newspaper quoted doctors as saying he suffered from an unusual blood disease and a liver problem.

Uncertainty surrounds the cause of the Palestinian president’s death in a Paris military hospital last week because French law prevents doctors releasing details about his condition without permission from the next of kin.

The government stood by its refusal to provide any details, despite speculation among Palestinians that Arafat was poisoned by Israel and a request for more information by Palestinian leaders. Israeli officials deny poisoning him.