France to supply direct budgetary aid to Palestinians

By NNN-KUNA

Paris : French Foreign and European Affairs Minister Bernard Kouchner has called Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to express the support of his country and efforts exerted to resume direct budgetary aid for the Palestinians, official sources said here.


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Spokesman of the French Foreign Ministry Jean-Baptiste Mattei said Thursday that Kouchner, during the call Wednesday night, stressed to Abbas the efforts that have been undertaken during the monthly General Affairs and External Relations Council meeting held in Luxembourg on Monday and which allowed for the decision to resume direct budgetary aid for the Palestinians.

Kouchner also informed Abbas of a meeting he held with the Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni to urge her to give back revenue from taxes and customs duties owned to the Palestinians that is estimated at over USD 700 million, according to Mattei.

He added that the “minister confirmed that France, on a national level, was going to supply direct budgetary aid.”

He noted that Koucnher expressed his concern for the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territories and examined with Abbas ways of channeling aid to the inhabitants of Gaza via international organisations.

Abbas has cancelled a planned visit to France that was scheduled for Monday because of the turmoil in Gaza and the ongoing tension in the Occupied Territories.

Several countries, including the US, said that they will resume direct aid to the newly formed Palestinian government, where even Israel said that it will consider releasing the funds it is holding and will examine ways to cooperate with the new Palestinian government but has made this conditional on the Palestinians improving their security situation.

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