RAMALLAH (Ma’an) -- The lawyer of late Yasser Arafat, Bassam Abu Sharif, accused the Palestinian Authority on Thursday of failing following in its responsibility to determine the cause of Arafat's death.

In an statement, Abu Sharif called on government to open an investigation that will discover the true causes of Arafat's death or assassination.

Abu Sharif said there were a number of failings which he considered suspicious in the aftermath of Arafat's death. Among them are failures to take threats seriously, and failing to demand an autopsy.

He accused a former negotiating team that met with former Israeli leader Ariel Sharon of failing to report back on statements threatening the Palestinian leader.

He called on the judiciary to open an investigation into the death.