PALIS ASK FOR $5.5 BILLION IN AID

Palestinian Authority to request $5.5 bln in aid (Swiss Info)
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - President Mahmoud Abbas's government will ask donors in Paris this month to provide $5.5 billion in aid to strengthen the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority, Palestinian officials said on Sunday.

The aid, to be used for budgetary support and development, is meant to strengthen Abbas against Hamas Islamists and revive the Palestinian economy after the president launched formal peace talks with Israel last week.

Prime Minister Salam Fayyad will ask donors at the Paris conference, scheduled for December 17, to provide $5.5 billion in aid over three years. The request is based on an economic plan for 2007 to 2010, a senior Palestinian official told Reuters.