Hamas seeks $170 million per month from Arabs

"The needed monthly spending is 170 million dollars, including 115 million dollars for wages," Hamas' political supremo Khaled Meshaal told a press conference on Sunday.

The amount is three times the 55 million dollars pledged at last year's Arab summit in Algeria and is practically double the 100 million

dollars demanded by a Palestinian delegation at a preparatory meeting for Tuesday's Arab summit in Khartoum.

Meshaal has been on a regional tour hoping to raise funds to fill the gap left by an anticipated cutting of funds from the United States and the European Union, once the Hamas-led government takes office.

"We hope that our Arab brothers will take the initiative to provide this aid as soon as possible... because the February salaries of many employees have not been paid yet," Meshaal said.

"The position of Arab and Muslim capitals we visited so far has been positive," Meshaal said, adding that he expected the Khartoum summit to issue a clear resolution.

"We are confident of the Arab position and God willing the Arab summit will issue a clear resolution to determine the size of the financial aid," he said. He added that some European countries "gave us signals they will continue supporting projects," in the Palestinian territories.

Hamas, which has sponsored dozens of suicide bombings against Israel, is branded a terrorist organisation by both the EU and the United States.

Meshaal acknowledged that during his tour Arab leaders had called on Hamas to be "objective in dealing with international resolutions."

"We will certainly take into consideration the advice and comments we heard from the Arab leaders," he said.

"But the problem is not a Hamas or Palestinian one ... It is Israel which violated all initiatives and international resolutions. It ignored all Palestinian, Arab and international initiatives," he said.

Meshaal reiterated Hamas's long-standing position that it will not negotiate with Israel as long it does not recognise Palestinian rights.

"The Israeli policy today is a policy of waging war... The prevailing environment does not allow for meaningful negotiations," Meshaal said. "Israel is adamantly rejecting legitimate Palestinian rights."

"Israeli mainstream political parties are rejecting the Palestinian right of return and withdrawal from (East) Jerusalem to the 1967 borders and are refusing to dismantle Jewish settlements," Meshaal said.

Meshaal also reiterated Hamas' willingness to hold talks with the United States, which has tried unsuccessfully to convince Arab states to cut off funding to a Hamas-led Palestinian Authority.

"The dilemma of the US policy is that it puts Israeli interests ahead of its own. That's what creates a crises for it in the region ... It is in the interest of the United States to change its biased foreign policy," he said.

Hamas, which won an upset victory in January elections, is expected to win a vote of confidence Monday in the Palestinian parliament on its proposed government lineup and the new cabinet is expected to be sworn in during a parliament session on Wednesday.

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