|
We'll Eat Olives and Survive'
Hisham Abu Taha, Arab News Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh at a
Hamas
rally at the Jabaliya refugee camp. (Reuters) GAZA CITY, 15 April 2006 - A defiant Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh yesterday said his people would survive on "thyme, salt and olives" but would not bow to Western demands for a Hamas recognition of Israel. Haniyeh's assertion came as he sent three of
his
ministers on a fund-raising trip to Arab and Islamic states and Iran's supreme leader said it was the duty of all Muslim states to fund the new Palestinian government in the wake of a Western aid cut. Haniyeh also said the Hamas government would not
be
brought down by financial pressure from what he called an "unholy alliance" led by the United States. Tens of thousands of Hamas supporters poured onto
the
Gaza streets after Friday prayers to attend Hamas-sponsored rallies protesting the aid cuts by the European Union and the United States. Haniyeh said the consequences of bringing down
the
current government would be "grave." He suggested that Hamas would be able to prevent any other government from forming to replace it. Hamas says it inherited a Palestinian Authority
with
empty coffers and more than $1.3 billion in government debts. Unable to pay March salaries to 140,000 government workers, Hamas has stepped up appeals to Arab states to make up for the loss of Western funds. Without that money, Hamas' finance minister said the Palestinian economy could soon collapse, sparking a humanitarian crisis and chaos. But Haniyeh said the United States and its allies
were
mistaken if they thought the newly sworn-in government would fall in four to six weeks because of Western aid cuts. "This government will continue for the full
four
years," Haniyeh told thousands of cheering supporters at Jabaliya, Gaza's biggest refugee camp. At the Jabaliya rally, Haniyeh took aim at
Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas, whose Fatah faction was defeated by Hamas, for issuing a series of decrees to make it harder for the new government to rule. "Hamas is not stupid," Haniyeh said. "I am not a weakling and nor are any of the ministers in my government." Haniyeh said the United States had formed an
"unholy
alliance" that included pro-American Palestinians. If his government were brought down, he warned; "What will happen? Will there be a new election? Will there be a government? We have a parliamentary bloc that holds the majority until the end of its mandate." Three Palestinian ministers became the first
members
of the new government to make an overseas tour in a bid to collect funds for the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority. Economy Minister Alaadine Al-Aaraj, Planning
Minister
Samir Abu Eisheh and Communications and Technology Minister Jamal Al-Khodari, embarked on a tour of Arab and Muslim countries. "Today I traveled to Jordan on my way to Saudi
Arabia,
Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain," Abu Eisheh said by telephone from Amman. The Bush administration meanwhile put more pressure
on
the new government, barring Americans from having most business dealings with the Palestinian Authority. The violators could face sanctions, according to a US Treasury Department document. But the Bush administration made an exception for
the
World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and UN aid agencies, authorizing them to engage in "activities and transactions" with the Palestinian Authority, the document said. The Treasury Department gave private US citizens
and
organizations 30 days to terminate ongoing contracts and programs with the Authority. The Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni, Uganda is in anarchy" Groupe de communication Mulindwas "avec Yoweri Museveni, l'Ouganda est dans l'anarchie" |
_______________________________________________ Ugandanet mailing list [email protected] http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/ugandanet % UGANDANET is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/
The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including attachments if any). The List's Host is not responsible for them in any way. ---------------------------------------
