EU foreign affairs chief says first tranche is sign of block’s strong political, financial commitment to Palestinian Authority. | |||||
Middle East Online | |||||
BRUSSELS - European Union foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton announced Wednesday a first, 100-million-euro (131.5 million dollars) tranche of aid to the Palestinian people for 2011. "This decision is a sign of the strong political and financial commitment of the European Union to the Palestinian Authority and to Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's leadership in building a democratic and viable Palestinian state," Ashton said in a statement following approval by the European Union's executive commission. "Palestinian statehood is critical for any peaceful, workable and lasting solution to the conflict," she reiterated after Brussels and the United States last week issued a new plea to speed up progress towards a two-state solution encompassing a "viable" Palestine alongside a "secure" Israel. The first 60 million euros will enable the Palestinian Authority "to cover wages and pensions for essential civilian workers, particularly medical and teaching staff," with the remainder channeled through United Nations relief programmes. That comes on top of 696 million in EU support already paid to the authority, and a further 265 million from EU member states nationally. |
No comments:
Post a Comment