PLO official rejects Norwegian FM's remarks on aid

A Palestinian official on Thursday rejected remarks by Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, whose country heads international donors to the Palestinians, that aid will not continue if no progress is made in peace talks with Israel. Hanan Ashrawi, a member of Palestine Liberation Organization's Executive Committee, considered Eide's words as a threat to the Palestinians. "This is part of the pressure on the Palestinian side in the context of the negotiations with Israel," which resumed last month. "The Palestinians won't be in need for international aid once they get sovereignty on their land and crossing points and establish their independent state," Ashrawi told Xinhua. In an interview with Israeli newspaper the Jerusalem Post, Eide said the international donors will not continue financing Palestinian state-building much longer if the U.S.-sponsored peace talks cannot bring results. Norway heads the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, which represents the international donors to the Palestinians. The committee will meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York next month. "The international aid is a result of the Israeli occupation for putting us under siege, blocking interconnection of our lands and stealing our resources ... If the international community wants to get rid of the aid to the Palestinians, it should treat the cause of the aid, which is the Israeli occupation," said Ashrawi.