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US Congress approves Abbas funds | US Congress approves Abbas funds |
(10 minutes later) | |
The US Congress has authorised $60m (£30.4m) in funds to improve the state of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's security staff. | The US Congress has authorised $60m (£30.4m) in funds to improve the state of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's security staff. |
"We are good to go ... we have addressed Congress's concerns," a senior State Department official was quoted by news agency Reuters. | "We are good to go ... we have addressed Congress's concerns," a senior State Department official was quoted by news agency Reuters. |
The funds could be spent on Abbas's presidential guard, security at border crossings and equipment. | The funds could be spent on Abbas's presidential guard, security at border crossings and equipment. |
Several lawmakers had held up the request from the Bush administration. | |
Last month, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told a congressional committee $36m (£18m; 27m euros) would be cut from a proposed $86m package for Mr Abbas' National Security Forces. | |
The revised plan, she said, would request less money "precisely because some of the money that I would have requested I did not think I could fully account for". | |
Correspondents said the move was a sign of America's nervousness at the power-sharing deal between Hamas and the more moderate Fatah movement. | |
The US has said it will boycott members of the Palestinian government who belong to Hamas, which it regards as a terrorist group. |