(New York Post) International aid to Arafat has been cut in half because of suspicions of corruption and a Palestinian failure to show the money is being spent properly, Western diplomats and officials in the West Bank said Monday. Palestinian Finance Minister Salam Fayyad said aid from the EU, which used to run $120 million a year, had fallen to $80 million. He said all international aid to the Palestinians had dropped "by around half" over the last two years. Western diplomats said more than $50 million in EU aid was being held back until the PA paid salaries for its security services through bank transfers - rather than by cash that cannot be traced.
2004-02-18 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive