RAMALLAH, West Bank — A Palestinian official says French and Swiss investigators will visit the West Bank to conduct parallel probes into the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

The French team is conducting a criminal investigation into Arafat's death at the request of his widow Suha Arafat.

The Palestinian Authority invited the Swiss team to examine the remains of the longtime leader and determine how he died eight years ago.

The head of the Palestinian committee investigating the death, Tawfik Tirawi, said Monday the teams were coordinating their arrival date.

Suha Arafat had asked the Palestinian Authority to suspend any other probe or ensure that it was coordinated with the French investigation.

Suspicions of poisoning surrounding Arafat's death emerged when a deadly radioactive isotope was recently found on clothes said to be his.