International donors pledge to support a new Palestinian state

Jan 12, 2010, 18:32 GMT

Brussels - International donors are ready to support the creation of a new Palestinian state, representatives of the United States, European Union and Norway announced Tuesday in a fresh bid to facilitate the re-start of peace talks in the Middle East.

'We enter 2010 ready and able to support the Palestinian budget by Prime Minister (of the Palestinian Authority, Salam) Fayyad', said Norway's foreign minister, Jonas Gahr Stoere.

The EU's foreign policy supremo, Catherine Ashton, said the bloc will 'front-load' its aid to the Palestinians for 2010, paying the bulk of its support sooner rather than later.

'It is extremely important', commented Stoere, assuring that Norway will also make available its entire annual aid 'in the coming weeks'.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner added that 'if the political situation allows it,' donors are ready to 'start another chapter of the Paris Conference', which in December 2007 pledged 7.4 billion dollars for the Palestinians.

Former British premier Tony Blair, now the Middle East envoy of the Quartet, a diplomatic forum made up of the US, Russia, the EU and the United Nations, said that the international community wants peace talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians to 'commence as soon as possible based on a two-state solution'.

That sentiment was echoed by US special envoy George Mitchell, who thanked European partners for supporting his mediation efforts. 'No one person, no one country can do this alone,' he said, referring to the attempts to clinch a peace deal.

The meeting was also attended by Spain's Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, who represents the current EU rotating presidency.

The Quartet's full-time envoys are set to meet in Brussels on Wednesday. Blair is not expected to attend.