MOSCOW/CAIRO,
April 15, 2006 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Russia,
breaking with a US-led boycott campaign, promised on Saturday, April
15, to offer aid to the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority, which
appealed to Arab countries to honor their aid pledges.
"(Palestinian
President) Mahmoud Abbas highly appreciated the intention of Russia,
confirmed by (Russian Foreign Minister Sergei) Lavrov, to grant the
Hamas-led Palestinian Authority urgent financial aid in the nearest
time," read a Foreign Ministry statement cited by Reuters.
The
aid promise came during a phone call between Lavrov and the
Palestinian leader on the Mideast peace process, it added.
The
United States and the European Union have suspended direct aid to the
Palestinian Authority.
Washington
has also barred American citizens and organizations from business
dealings with the PA.
On
Tuesday, April 11, Lavrov dismissed as a "mistake" the aid
suspension campaign against the new government.
Russia,
a member of the Mideast Quartet which also groups the US, EU and UN,
is the only major power to have received a Hamas delegation on an
official visit since its landslide January election win.
Honor
Pledges
 |
|
"The
representatives of the 22-member organization have asked the
government of Hamas to accept the Arab initiative," Zahar
said.
|
In
a related development, Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud al-Zahar
urged Arab countries Saturday to fulfill their promises of financial
aid to the Palestinians, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
"We
are not only looking to follow up on Arab aid, we would like to
increase it because the Israeli occupation bans us from accessing the
60 million dollars per month," he told representatives of Arab
states at the Arab League's Cairo headquarters.
Israel
has blocked the monthly customs transfer worth $ 50 million it
collects on behalf of the PA.
"Our
Arab brothers intend to help us but we must ensure a mechanism of
transparency," Zahar said.
Arab
governments have promised financial aid to the Palestinians during
their summit in Khartoum late March.
They
have also urged the international community "not to punish the
Palestinians" for voting Hamas into power.
Former
US president Jimmy Carter cautioned on February 20, the United States
and Israel against punishing the Palestinian people for electing the
resistance group.
Arab
Initiative
The
pan-Arab organization, meanwhile, called on the Palestinian government
to adopt the Arab peace initiative with Israel.
"The
representatives of the 22-member organization have asked the
government of Hamas to accept the Arab initiative," Zahar told
reporters after a meeting with Amr Moussa, the League chief.
He
said that he would relay the message to his government "to
examine the issue."
The
Arab initiative, adopted at the Beirut summit in 2002, reaffirms the
readiness of Arab countries to normalize ties with Israel in exchange
for a full Israeli withdrawal from Arab territories occupied since
1967.
The
proposal, renewed during the Khartoum summit, was repeatedly rejected
by Israel.
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