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Saudi rejects Rice on Hamas stand
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-02-23 09:32

Saudi Arabia deepened a US-Arab split over Hamas on Wednesday, joining Egypt's rejection of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's appeal for neighbors to deny aid to a Palestinian government led by the militant group.

Saudi Arabia, one of the biggest donors to the Palestinians, warned against the US position of stopping aid before seeing what policies the anti- Israel group adopts in government.


US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice talks during a press conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abul Gheit (unseen), 21 February 2006 in Cairo. Rice faced an uphill struggle trying to reconcile Washington's push for democracy and concerns over rising Islamism as she pressed on with a tour of Mideast allies. [AFP]

And Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said at a late night news conference with Rice that all aid to Palestinians should be based only on humanitarian needs.

That contrasts with the United States, which has said it will continue humanitarian aid but cut off assistance to a government led by a group it considers a terrorist organization.

"The kingdom affirmed its complete commitment to avoid jumping to make prejudgments," he said.

"(Saudi Arabia) hopes that international aid for the Palestinian people should be linked only with the pressing humanitarian need of this people," he said.

Stopping aid for a sewerage system infrastructure, which is the sort of project the United States wants to be starved of funding, was effectively denying Palestinians humanitarian help, he added.


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