By NNN-KUNA
Brussels : The European Commission (EC) has announced here that it is making available 300 million Euro to finance activities in support of the Palestinian people.
EC spokesperson for external relations Christiane Hohmann told reporters Tuesday that the sum of 300 million euro was part of the 400 million euro which the EC pledged for 2008 at the Paris Donors Conference for Palestinians last December.
The EC would give 229 million Euro to the PEGASE (European-Palestinian Mechanism for Management of Socio-Economic Aid) and 71 million Euro to UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East).
The EC, on Feb 1, launched PEGASE, a new instrument to channel EU and international assistance as a contribution to the building of the Palestinian state and as a follow-up to the Temporary International Mechanism (TIM).
PEGASE, which will run for the next three years, is based on the Reform and Development Plan of the Palestinian Authority. It channels aid to four key areas — governance, social development, economic and private sector development and public infrastructure.
The allocation for UNRWA allows the UN body to continue providing health, education and social services to 4.5 million Palestinian refugees.
Meanwhile, the EC spokesperson declined to comment on the agreement signed by Hamas and Fatah negotiators in the Yemeni capital Sana’a on Saturday to begin talks on a number of issues. “There are conflicting reports. So it is not quite sure if there is or isn’t an agreement. We are checking the facts. So I cannot really comment unless I know what really the facts are,” said Hohmann.