Yasser Arafat. His top aide Nabil Abu Rudeina denied on Sunday that the ailing leader had a liver failure, the Dubai-based al-Arabiya TV reported. (Xinhua file photo)

    CAIRO, Nov. 7 (Xinhuanet) -- Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's top aide Nabil Abu Rudeina denied on Sunday that the ailing leader had a liver failure, the Dubai-based al-Arabiya TV reported.

    Rudeina's denial came shortly after reports emerged which quoted an unidentified Palestinian official as saying that Arafat was suffering from a liver failure and his condition was not improving.

    Arafat has been in a critical but stable condition since he was flown to a military hospital outside Paris on Oct. 29 after two-weeks of stomach pain.

    Doctors have ruled out leukemia but still could not pin down the exact reason for his illness.

    Meanwhile, Israel said Sunday that preparations for Arafat's burial in Gaza have completed, an announcement labelled by the Palestinian side as inappropriate since Arafat was still alive. Enditem