U.S. rewards Abbas
Bush offers USD41 million to fund Palestinian infrastructure and education
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration told Congress on Thursday it would provide an initial USD41 million in aid to the Palestinians in an immediate show of support for newly elected President Mahmoud Abbas.
The money is part of a broader USD350 million package of aid for the Palestinians announced by President Bush in his State of the Union address on Wednesday.
In a letter to key lawmakers, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) said the USD41 million was designed to have an "immediate impact in support of democratic transition."
It will fund a wide range of projects, from roadwork and water resources to higher education and family health programs.
Agency sources said the money reflected "the U.S. government's interest in providing tangible support to the newly elected leadership and the Palestinian people through a program of highly visible rapid response deliverables."
The agency said the money would not be provided directly to the Palestinian Authority because of congressional restrictions.
However, a portion of the USD350 million package is expected to be provided directly to the authority, congressional aides said.
The aid offer was announced as Condoleezza Rice was traveling to Europe and the Middle East on her first foreign trip as secretary of state, hoping to seize on a mood of hope for progress in settling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
