Arafat's remains to be exhumed

The remains of former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat will be exhumed on Tuesday, to enable foreign experts to take samples as part of a probe into his death, a Palestinian official has said.

Arafat died in November 2004, a month after falling ill, and Palestinian officials have insisted he was poisoned by Israel. Israel has denied such allegations.

The detection of traces of a lethal radioactive substance in biological stains on Arafat's clothing earlier this year sparked a new investigation.

Former Palestinian intelligence chief Tawfik Tirawi, who heads the committee investigating Arafat's death, said today that Swiss, French and Russian experts would take samples from Arafat's remains on Tuesday. Tirawi says Arafat would be reburied the same day with military honours.