Region | Palestinian Territories

EU to resume aid to Palestine

The European Union will resume direct economical aid to the Palestinian Authority in an effort to support President Mahmoud Abbas' new cabinet, foreign policy chief Javier Solana said on Monday.

  • Agencies
  • Published: 23:37 June 18, 2007
  • Gulf News

  • Image Credit: AP
  • EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said the EU would make payments to the new Palestinian prime minister.

Luxembourg: The European Union will resume direct economical aid to the Palestinian Authority in an effort to support President Mahmoud Abbas' new cabinet, foreign policy chief Javier Solana said on Monday.

Speaking before a meeting of foreign ministers in Luxembourg, Solana did not say when the funding would start, but said part of the money would go to Gaza.

He added that the EU would be prepared to make some direct payments to the government of the new Palestinian Prime Minister, Salam Fayyad.

Solana said, "No doubt part of it will go through the account that when he was minister of finance he had established and he will have kept as prime minister, so it will be a direct relationship with the government.

He added, "It is very important that he is able to construct a budget, and through that budget he will be able to help both people in Gaza and the West Bank."

The EU also plans to deliver economic aid to Palestinians in Gaza, but this would be channelled through the UN or an existing temporary programme that bypasses Hamas.

The move comes after Israel said it would be prepared to ease economic sanctions now that Hamas played no official role in the Palestinian government.


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