RAMALLAH, West Bank, Aug 19 (AFP) - Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat rebuffed a committee of MPs as they urged him to follow through his admission of mistakes in a keynote speech with action, committee members said Thursday.
"The meeting has failed and Arafat refused to publish any presidential decisions," one of the MPs, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP after the late night meeting at Arafat's West Bank headquarters broke up in the early hours.
"What he said today was all very nice but we need presidential decisions to implement what he said."
Another MP from Arafat's Fatah movement confirmed that Arafat had made firm commitment to implement reform.
"President Arafat did not feel the need to make any further declarations as he believed that what he said in his speech was enough," Dalal Salamah told AFP.
Other sources said that Arafat had been particularly nervous during the meeting which was frequently interrupted by his aides.
In a speech on Wednesday before the Palestinian parliament, Arafat admitted that his Palestinian Authority had made "unacceptable mistakes" which he pledged to address.
The 75-year-old Arafat has been facing mounting calls for reform of his administration amid rampant corruption and a breakdown in security, illustrated last month by an unprecedented spate of kidnappings and arson attacks on government buildings.
The committee of MPs was formed recently to liaise with Arafat about implementing long-awaited reforms, including a legal clarification of the divisions between the security services which remain largely controlled by the veteran leader.
They have also been pushing for written commitments by Arafat that he would investigate all the allegations of corruption passed to him by the parliament.