Posted on 11/30/2004 7:10:13 PM PST by yonif
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration plans to give $20 million in aid directly to the Palestinian Authority to help it pay Palestinian utility bills to Israeli companies, freeing up the authority's scarce resources for a January presidential election, officials said on Tuesday.
The State Department had initially planned to give the money to the Palestinian Authority to support the election to elect a successor to the Yasser Arafat, who died Nov. 11, and to help pay Palestinian salaries.
But key U.S. congressional leaders raised objections. They argued adequate safeguards had yet to be put in place to ensure the Palestinian Authority spends the money properly.
The $20 million in direct U.S. aid is expected to be announced during an international donors' meeting for the Palestinians on Dec. 7 and 8.
Officials said it would be part of a push by the Bush administration and its European allies to help the Palestinians before their Jan. 9 election.
"We are going to move forward with the $20 million," a senior State Department official said.
The official said of U.S. lawmakers, "We had taken into account their concerns about how it was paid and what it is paid for, and so therefore it was going to go to pay off Palestinian utility bills, and would be done with very transparent accounting."
"We're helping them out with one of their significant problems, significant arrearages to Israeli companies," the official said of the authority's utility bills. "We are freeing up their money to support their other needs and not just to pay off utility bills."
The Palestinian Authority is facing a severe financial crisis due to falling tax revenues during four years of violence which has paralyzed the Palestinian economy.
The U.N. recently estimated that the authority would need $650 million in foreign aid by June.
The $20 million in U.S. aid would be overseen by Palestinian Finance Minister Salam Fayyad, a former International Monetary Fund official with strong U.S. backing.
Ping.
Gee, George, my utility biils are getting kind of high, too. How about helping me out with my own tax money.
Thanks. I'll be watching the mail.
Oh, you greedy, selfish republicans! For shame! You know what staunch supporters the PA have been to America in our hour of need. ..... oh, on second thought, nevermind ... < /sad attempt at humor>
Why don't we just give Israel $20 million worth of ordnance to distribute to the PA via the Israeli Air Force - that should reduce their utility payments by about that much.
ab-so-freaking-ly crazy and a freaking waste of our HARD EARNED AND HARD TAXED US DOLLARS.
If you'd like to be on or off this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.
Now THAT thought brought a smile to my face!!
Of course we're not talking about their utilities bills but rather culling the 'consumers' :-) :-) with a lot of well placed MOAB's and similar ordinances.
Wait..
The USA is going to Pay Palestinian Utility Bills!
The largest Portion of which derives from .... OIL.
So the USA is helping Arabs to Pay.. Other Arabs.
Let the Saudi W@h@b@st@rds Pay
Republicans = conservatives right?
On the other hand this is "Reuters" telling us
"The Bush Admininstration' is doing this?
So, we know Norman Coleman isn't the President! You send your kids off to be suicide bombers, accept compensation from Saddam Hussein, support wackos who shoot missles at unarmed suburban neighborhoods, blow up schoolkids on a bus, destroy a disco and a few family restaurants, support thugs who embezzle $$$billions from your govt, while your kids are brainwashed by Islamofascist TV propaganda, off to pursue a promising future in martyrdom, and we are supposed to pay for utility bills for these people?
What's the Constitution Party's website, again?
Boy oh boy! Someone needs to let President Bush know that blogging can hurt his party too......
This is against my religious beliefs. I want to be a tax-exempt conscientious objector.
Get in line. I think the illegals and deadbeats are ahead of us. And I think our veterans are at the end.
Dammit, I specifically requested my tax money would go to buy bullets to shoot at moslem terrorists.
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