Saudis defend aid record

Riyadh - Saudi Arabia said yesterday it had given 8.9 billion riyals ($2

Riyadh - Saudi Arabia said yesterday it had given 8.9 billion riyals ($2.37 billion) in aid to Palestinians since 1991, rejecting criticism of Arab aid agencies.

Finance Minister Ibrahim al-Assaf told a news conference the oil kingdom had also paid $130 million towards its share in two Arab funds worth $1 billion set up by an Arab summit last year to support Palestinians.

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