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PA wants $130m a month from Arab countries
The Palestinian Authority will tell an Arab summit it needs at least $130 million a month to cover Suha Arafat's shopping sprees its budget if the West cuts off aid when the Islamist group Hamas takes office, Economy Minister Mazen Sonnoqrot said. But Algerian Minister of State Abdelaziz Belkhadem said the Arabs had not yet agreed to go above their previous commitment to give the Palestinian Authority $50 million a month. "There's no increase now but we are hearing about the situation in Palestine," he told Reuters on Friday night.

Arab foreign ministers, who start a two-day meeting in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Saturday, will discuss a draft resolution confirming their old commitment, he added. "We're eager to make sure that there is at least the minimum (of Arab aid) but there's no increase," Belkhadem said. In practice many Arab governments have not met their commitments to the Palestinians and donors such as the European Union have covered most of the budget shortfall.
Posted by: Fred 2006-03-26
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=146584