DHAKA: The Russian agency involved in studying the remains of Yasser Arafat on Tuesday denied issuing any conclusions about the death of the Palestinian leader, after a report cited its chief as saying he could not have died from polonium poisoning.

Russia’s Federal Medical-Biological Agency (FMBA) was one of three international institutes involved in exhuming Arafat’s remains in November 2012.

Interfax earlier quoted FMBA head Vladimir Uiba as saying he doubted a report published in The Lancet at the weekend saying that Swiss radiation experts had found traces of polonium on Arafat’s clothing, reports The Straits Times.

The Swiss team said its findings ‘support the possibility’ the veteran Palestinian leader, who died in November 2004, was poisoned.

BDST: 2046 HRS, OCT 15, 2013
RoR/JCK