The Bush administration announced Wednesday that it would provide $23.5 million in aid to the Palestinian Authority to help conduct elections, establish security, meet its payrolls and upgrade infrastructure in Gaza. The aid was the first direct payment by the United States to the Palestinian Authority since August 2003, when the administration, trying to encourage talks between the Israelis and Palestinians, gave $20 million. The announcement was made at an international donors’ conference in Oslo. William J. Burns, assistant secretary of state for Middle East affairs, said the aid reflected American confidence in the Palestinian Authority’s efforts to reform its finances and security services in the weeks since the death of the Palestinian leader, Yasir Arafat. Full Story
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