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Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa. (AP) del.icio.us Digg It!  new Last update - 20:27 07/12/2007 Arab League head urges world to increase aid to Palestinians By The Associated Press Tags: Abbas, Arab League  The head of the Arab League on Friday urged the world community to exceed a U.S. $5.8 billion aid target sought by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for his people. "I think this sum - even more than that - must be given to the Palestinians to rebuild their society," Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa told reporters in Paris. Dozens of countries were expected to send envoys to a high-level international donors conference for the Palestinians in Paris on Dec. 17. Palestinian Planning Minister Samir Abdullah was in the French capital Friday for a preparatory meeting. Advertisement Abbas was expected to ask the international community to nearly double aid through 2010, for a total of U.S. $5.8 billion. According to an early copy of his government's 2008-2010 development plan, obtained by The Associated Press, 70 percent of the aid is to go for budget support and 30 percent is to be spent on development projects. Moussa said at least U.S. $5.8 billion is needed to help Palestinian society, whose infrastructures and whose very life has been destroyed by the Israeli occupation. He couched his pleas for donor generosity in moral terms, saying the international community owed it to the Palestinians to pledge generously. "The state of things in Palestine is the responsibility of the international community," he said. "It's not simple financial engagement - it's political, moral and humanitarian." Asked whether he thought donors would meet Abbas' demands, Moussa said he hoped so. The Paris conference is meant to build on the momentum from last week's Mideast conference in Annapolis, Maryland, at which Abbas and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert pledged to resume long-stalled peace talks and aim for an accord by the end of 2008. Moussa said the Annapolis conference was a positive development but warned that momentum generated there could easily be lost. We fear that we could find ourselves back at the starting blocks in three months' time, he said. Abbas says he needs help with a huge deficit run up in years of strife, but also is promising to curb spending and spark economic growth - and ultimately, reduce dependence on aid. Livni calls for NATO help to bolster Palestinian forces Participants in a NATO meeting of foreign ministers on Friday in Brussles said that a speech delivered by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni demonstrated a strong willingness on the part of Israel for NATO assistance to help bolster Palestinian security forces. "We are now in a process that is expected to strengthen the capabilities of the Palestinian Authority - so they would fight terror instead of Israel. However, one can not exclude the possibility that we will need to discuss what can be the role of NATO in supporting the need for a change, a real change, on the ground," Livni said. A senior NATO official said this week that despite the fact that the three conditions laid out by Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, NATO secretary general, for peacekeeping troop deployment in the region haven't been met, the alliance may consider providing more partial assistance. Those three conditions are a final peace agreement, a UN Security Council decision and a request by both sides. Related articles: Arab states insist normalization with Israel not on the agenda at conference Israel welcomes Saudi Arabia's planned attendance at peace summit ANALYSIS: The importance of who attends Annapolis from Arab states Bookmark to del.icio.us Serious accusation Iran claims that U.S. data on their nuclear program came from spying. No plans to stop The Housing Minister says there's no reason to stop E. J'lem construction.   1.   How much AIDS does Arab League give? It is more like Arab pLague 19:25  |  Genuine Tosefta 07/12/07   2.   $5.8 billion is only one day of Arab oil exports 19:34  |  Genuine Tosefta 07/12/07   3.   aid to pals ? 19:37  |  Jacob 07/12/07   4.   where is arab money? always taking never giving or keeping agreem 20:08  |  ralph 07/12/07   5.   The height of Arab hypocrisy 20:52  |  utagawa 07/12/07   6.   Arab League Supply Your Own Money 20:55  |  Nat Weinstein 07/12/07   7.   Can Arabs be a perpetual welfare case? 20:56  |  Uzi 07/12/07   8.   AID 20:57  |  colin 07/12/07   9.   The Arabs must make very painful concessions for real peace! 20:58  |  Uzi 07/12/07   10.   The Arab League`s Partition Plan that may work: 21:00  |  Uzi 07/12/07   11.   Arabs want world to contribute? My, my what chtutzpah! 21:09  |  bat yam 07/12/07   12.   let the poor support the poor 21:48  |  dav zee 07/12/07   13.   Yeaah Mr. Moussa, we attacked Israel several times.. 22:01  |  Karl 07/12/07   14.   HELP HELP LOL LOL 22:04  |  TOBIA 07/12/07   15.   Oil @ only$100-Pleez Baksheesh 22:14  |  Alan 07/12/07   16.   To give moneyyyyy 23:22  |  Jake 07/12/07   17.   Arab Money???? 23:42  |  Ron 07/12/07   18.   Arab and Iranian regimes using oil prices to rob the whole world 01:06  |  Realist 08/12/07   19.   arafat`s pocket 01:50  |  dav zee 08/12/07   20.   arafat`s pocket 01:51  |  dav zee 08/12/07   21.   How about the Oil Piggie Banks of the Gulf? 01:51  |  Mark Lincoln 08/12/07   22.   Arab League urges the world to give more...why?? 02:29  |  William 08/12/07   23.   Israel should pay legally! Israel stole/destroyed Pal property 03:25  |  1 state solution 08/12/07   24.   Moussa: You Should Be Replaced By A Volunteer Hadassah ... 03:45  |  Lavi 08/12/07   25.   11/ Chutpah : rich Israel taking billions in handouts from US tax 04:30  |  1 state solution 08/12/07   26.   Hey, 1 "Pal" State Solution, You Should Get ... 05:43  |  Lavi 08/12/07   27.   A fair and just compromise 07:28  |  22 states solution 08/12/07   28.   26/Thanks. Go live in Khan Yunis before you talking about Pals 09:37  |  1 state solution 08/12/07   29.   27/European Jews Colonizing Arab Land 09:40  |  1 state solution 08/12/07   30.   $$ billions to the Arab League?? 11:26  |  joe 08/12/07   31.   son of the bondwoman 13:59  |  alfred youngberg 08/12/07   32.   Just send them guns and bombs 17:58  |  Chick 08/12/07   33.   If The Arab League Really Wants To Help... 18:28  |  Yosemite 08/12/07   34.   Moussa is right; Europeans must now resume responsibility for PA! 20:58  |  Alicia 08/12/07   35.   1 "Pal" State Silly Solution: Ever Actually Been To Gaza? 21:57  |  Lavi 08/12/07   36.   1 "No Idea" State Solution: Palestine Sat Clothed In Sackcloth 22:22  |  Lavi 08/12/07   37.   Half American $`s to Palestinian Jews: Half to Arabs. 01:33  |  Reader 09/12/07   38.   Sending `bad` money after `bad` money 01:55  |  Nechama 09/12/07   39.   1 STATE SOLUTION 03:01  |  TOBIA 09/12/07   40.   #23 - another insightful american heard from 04:24  |  Steve 09/12/07

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