By KUNA,
Paris : French Foreign Minister Beranrd Kouchner will be paying the Palestinian Territories and Israel a visit on the occasion of the international investors conference, which is due in Bethlehem on May 21, it was announced here Monday.
The three-day conference, of which the Palestinians are seeking about USD two billion in development projects, will be attended by a large number of potential investors in an aim to boost the Palestinian economy.
The gathering, organized by the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), will focus on the private sector and it is expected that over 80 projects in various sectors will be announced.
Spokeswoman of the French Foreign Ministry Pascale Andreani said in a statement that in Bethlehem, Kouchner will work on encouraging the Palestinian private sector and recall the requirement of improving the situation on the ground, in particular in terms of freedom of movement. She added that in the Palestinian Territories, the Minister will hold talks with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. During his visit, Kouchner will also be “evaluating the conditions of the economic development in Bethlehem” and will be meeting the Mayor of the city of Hebron. In Israel, the French Minister will be received by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and will also hold talks with his Israeli counterpart Tzipi Livni, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and other officials. “This visit, which also comes within the framework of the preparation of the French Presidency of the EU, will give the Minister the opportunity to encourage the two parts to look further into their negotiations in order to reach, before the end of 2008, the creation of an independent, democratic Palestinian state,” that coexists peacefully and safely side by side with Israel,” the Spokeswoman stressed.
The Paris donors conference, which was held here last December, accorded USD 7.7 billion in aid to the Palestinians over three years.