It was regrettable that no tests were carried out on the remains of Palestinian president

Yasser Arafat

at the time of his death, Tánaiste

Eamon Gilmore

has told the Dáil. He said there were widespread rumours of foul play at the time but no tests were carried out at the request of the family.

Mr Gilmore said it was also very regrettable that allegations that he had been poisoned should arise now “at the very moment when, after long efforts, direct negotiations between the two sides have been resumed”.

He was responding to Sinn Féin's Sean Crowe who highlighted reports that Swiss forensic experts had detected the radioactive element polonium in samples taken from the remains of Arafat, who died in 2004.

The Tánaiste said a French judicial investigation was ongoing and he noted that "many Palestinians, perhaps not unexpectedly, have stated their assumption that Israel was responsible for poisoning the late president".

He said Arafat had spent "his whole life in the pursuit of Palestinian freedom and an independent state of Palestine. While it is quite legitimate to pursue questions about his death, it would be a tragedy if this was to jeopardise the best, and perhaps the last, chance to achieve what he worked for."

Administration
"I would, therefore, hope and urge President Abbas and his administration not to allow themselves to be distracted from continuing to engage fully in the crucial peace talks now under way."

Mr Crowe said the findings could have implications especially because of new and illegal Israeli settlements.