KHARTOUM, March 26: Arab foreign ministers on Sunday dismissed Western explanations for cutting aid to the Palestinian Authority but offered no extra money to compensate for a budget shortfall when Hamas government takes office.

The ministers, meeting in the Sudanese capital Khartoum to prepare for an Arab summit this week, renewed an old pledge to give the Palestinians some $50 million a month and left open the possibility of giving more later if the Palestinians need it.

They rejected unilateral steps by Israel, as interim Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in Jerusalem he wanted to define Israel’s borders without dealing with a Hamas government.

The Palestinians say they already face a financial crisis because Israel refuses to hand over about $55m a month which it collects in tax and customs revenue on their behalf.—Reuters