EU aid to Palestinian territories set to reach record high in 2007

Nov 19, 2007, 11:57 GMT

Brussels - Combined European Union aid to the Palestinian territories is set to reach a record high of about 1 billion euros (1.47 billion dollars) in 2007, EU Commissioner Benita Ferrero- Waldner said in Brussels on Monday.

'By the end of the year, the EU should have given about 1 billion euros to the Palestinians,' said Ferrero-Waldner, the EU Commissioner in charge of external relations.

The figure combines financial assistance offered to the Palestinians by Brussels, which provides most of the aid, as well as from individual member states.

By October, combined financial aid had reached 800 million euros and was already higher than last year's total of 750 million euros. Aid in the preceding years had averaged around 500 million euros, officials said.

Ferrero-Waldner also called on other parties, such as the Arab League, to do more, saying the EU 'cannot do it alone'.

Additional financial aid is expected to be pledged at a Donors' Conference set to take place next month in Paris.

The EU executive has announced plans to resume direct financial aid to the Palestinian government of President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah, but such plans have been put on hold while training of Palestinian finance ministry officials continues.

Ferrero-Waldner did not provide a deadline for the training programme on Monday, saying it was an 'ongoing process'.

EU foreign ministers were expected to discuss a forthcoming Middle East peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland, during a meeting in Brussels on Monday.

The ministers were also expected to take a look at a paper prepared by Ferrero-Waldner and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana on the need to shift the focus of aid to post-conflict projects designed to help build a future Palestinian state.

The 'work-in-progress' paper calls for the establishment of a modern and democratic Palestinian police force, institution-building, ways to support the economic growth of the territories and financial aid to the West Bank and Gaza.

Officials hope the November 26-27 talks in Annapolis will revive the stalled road map to peace and make progress on reaching a final settlement on the Middle East conflict.

'We hope (Annapolis) will be a genuinely meaningful meeting that can launch negotiations on the final status of the Palestinian territories,' Ferrero-Waldner said Monday.