Mohammed Mar'i Saudi Gazette RAMALLAH – The Palestinian leadership is to petition the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague if it finds proof that the late Yasser Arafat was poisoned, an official said Tuesday. “If it is proved that Arafat was poisoned, we will go to the international court,” said Tawfiq Tirawi, head of the Palestinian commission investigating Arafat's death, referring to the International Criminal Court (ICC). His remarks were made at a press conference which took place several hours after the veteran leader's remains were exhumed for testing by a team of international experts. “We will wait for the results of the investigation,” he said. “We are not accusing anyone so far but regardless of the result, we will continue looking for the truth” about how he died. Arafat died at a French military hospital near Paris in November 2004, with experts unable to say what killed him, although many Palestinians believe he was poisoned by Israel. Experts on Tuesday took samples from his remains to examine them for traces of polonium after an investigation earlier this year found abnormal quantities of the radioactive substance on his personal effects. The results are not expected to be made public for several months. The ICC can only open an investigation if it is asked to do so by the UN Security Council or by a recognized state. A Palestinian van carrying Arafat's samples left the Presidential compound of Al-Muqata'a at 10:30 a.m. Sheikh Mohammed Hussein, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine, oversaw the exhumation and the subsequent burial of the Palestinian leader. In July, a report by the Al-Jazeera satellite channel said that Swiss Institute of Radiation Physics in Lausanne tested Arafat's personal belongings and found significant traces of radioactive polonium-210 on his clothes and toothbrush. – With agencies (Arafat: Who lived and died for his dream – P6)
