France refuses to release Arafat’s medical records

11/16/2004 9:00:00 PM GMT

France's foreign minister said on Tuesday that his country has refused to release the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s medical records.

Michel Barnier's remarks came shortly after Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia has formally demanded that France should publish Arafat's medical records.

The Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat died Thursday, November 11, 2004 at 3:30 a.m. in a military hospital outside Paris, France. Arafat was struggling for life during his last days, and witnessed dramatic deterioration in his health. Neither Palestinian officials nor Arafat's French medical team have announced the real cause of death.

"The medical file of Yasser Arafat will be transmitted, conforming to the law and to rules, to members of the immediate family who ask for it," Barnier told Europe-1 radio.

The 75-year-old Palestinian leader flew to France earlier this month, to get the needed medical treatment at a French Army teaching hospital southwest of Paris, specialized in blood disorders and trauma care.

At first, low blood platelet count raised fears of leukemia, but doctors have ruled out all forms of cancer.

When asked if France would ask Arafat's widow, Suha, to publish the medical reports, Barnier replied: "The family of Yasser Arafat has the right to do as it wishes."

In an interview Tuesday, Qureia said that the Palestinians have sent a letter to the French hospital urging it to release all Arafat's health records.

"We sent an official letter, asking for all the details and all the reports," Qureia said from his office outside Jerusalem. "He is one of the region's main leaders and therefore I think we should know what happened."

Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia said Tuesday that he has formally requested that France publish the medical records of Yasser Arafat following his death last week.

However, the French Foreign Ministry spokesman Herve Ladsous said Monday that France is going to "examine fully" any request from the Palestinian leadership asking for details on Arafat's death.

The intense secrecy that surrounded Arafat's sudden health deterioration and death has aroused frustration and skepticism in various parts of the Arab world.

Arafat's Jordanian physician, Dr. Ashraf al-Kurdi, has called for an autopsy to be made on the veteran leader’s body, raising the possibility that Arafat has been poisoned.

Also Palestinian resistance groups among which is, Hamas, and Jihad have accused Israel of poisoning Yasser Arafat, however Israeli officials have strongly rejected the accusations, yet failed to provide an evidence that foils their accusations.