Region | Palestinian Territories
Donor nations pledge nearly $300 million more in aid to Palestine
The Palestinian government received pledges of nearly $300 million in aid in addition to the $7 billion promised last year, Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said on Monday.
- Agencies
- Published: 09:16 September 23, 2008
United Nations: The Palestinian government received pledges of nearly $300 million in aid in addition to the $7 billion promised last year, Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said on Monday.
Speaking at a news conference after a meeting discussing Palestinian aid on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Fayyad said: "We are grateful for the expressions of additional support over and beyond the Paris pledges."
The new aid includes $150 million from the United States, $115 from the European Union and $15 million from Norway, chair of the committee that organized the meeting, Fayyad said.
Urging other nations to contribute ahead of the talks, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said: "We need to make certain that everyone is paying attention to their Paris commitments to the Palestinians."
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana also urged countries to deliver on their aid pledges.
Arab nations, in particular, have been reticent to hand over aid money to the Palestinians but Rice said they had been "very attentive" of late.
The new aid pledged on Monday was expected soon. "This will help in dealing with the liquidity problem. We're talking about a financing gap that must be bridged ..." Fayyad said.
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