'Talks' on direct Palestinian aid

Some civil servants received overdue salaries earlier this month

A senior US envoy says Washington and the EU are working closely to find ways to give aid to the Palestinian people without dealing with their government.

US Assistant Secretary of State David Welch described economic conditions in Gaza and the West Bank as "troubling".

But, speaking after meeting Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, Mr Welch said the US would not allow long-overdue salaries to be paid from its funds.

The US and EU halted their funding when Hamas took power earlier this year.

They accuse the Islamic militant group, which took over the Palestinian government after elections in January, of being a terrorist organisation.

Unpaid salaries

"We are working closely with our EU colleagues to establish a temporary international mechanism to provide direct assistance to the Palestinian people," Mr Welch said.

He said the "quartet" of Middle East peace mediators - the US, EU, Russia and the UN - were working on ways of funnelling aid to the Palestinian people while bypassing the government.

But he said the payment of salaries to civil servants was the responsibility of the government, Reuters TV reports.

Earlier this month, some 40,000 of the lowest-paid staff - those who earn 1,500 shekels ($325; £174) a month or less - received some of their salary for the first time in three months.

The other 125,000 staff would have to wait, the finance minister said.