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U.S.: Humanitarian aid to Palestinians won't be cut
United States State Department official David Welch promised Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday that the United States will not cut off humanitarian aid to the Palestinians, even after a Hamas government takes over.
Funding just delays what eventually has to happen.
During the first high-level meeting between the two sides since the election victory of the Islamic militant group last month, Welch assured Abbas that the United States supports the chairman and his policies, and praised his speech during the opening Palestinian parliament session earlier this month, according Israel Radio reported. "The United States has long been a supporter of the Palestinian people, through a substantial contribution of our foreign assistance funds... we continue to be devoted to the humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people and it shall remain so," Welch said.

"It is our belief that it is important for the people in the Palestinian territories ... to have a good life in safety and security with economic wellbeing," Welch added.

Welch is to meet Sunday with Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz.

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said that Abbas told Welch the United States must respect the Palestinians' election of Hamas last month. He noted that tens of millions of dollars in U.S. aid flow directly into infrastructure projects every year, not to the Palestinian government, which by next month will be controlled by Hamas. "We urged the U.S. administration to continue helping the Palestinian people, as it did in previous years," Erekat said after the meeting. "They have never transferred a single dollar to the Palestinian Authority directly. The money was being transferred via non-governmental organizations."
Every dollar better be audited.

Posted by: Steve White 2006-02-26
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=143805