MOSCOW AP President Boris Yeltsin promised Russia's economic help to Palestinians in a message to a Mideast donors' conference in Washington the Kremlin said Tuesday. The United States and 42 other nations promised more than dlrs 3 billion to help alleviate Palestinian poverty during the donor conference that ended Monday. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said he was satisfied with the offers and confident the pledges would be fulfilled and then resumed verbal attacks against Israel. Yeltsin said his cash-starved country would make its donation by continuing to train Palestinian specialists and expanding trade and economic cooperation in line with an agreement signed during Arafat's visit to Moscow last month. ``Russia as a co-sponsor of the Mideast peace process will continue making an active contribution to ensuring progress in the Palestinian direction of an Arab-Israeli settlement including contribution to the social and economic growth of Palestinian territories'' Yeltsin's letter said. Yeltsin also sent a separate message to U.S. President Bill Clinton saying that ``help to economic and social development of Palestinians' self-government is undoubtedly a significant factor supporting peace talks.'' Russia is officially a co-sponsor of the peace process launched in Madrid Spain in 1991. But the United States has played a far greater role. Yeltsin also called for joint international efforts to settle the conflict. ``Today as never before joint efforts are needed to cement the positive changes and fulfill the agreements that have been reached'' Yeltsin's message read. ad/adc APW19981201.1000.txt.body.html APW19981201.0430.txt.body.html