By KUNA,
Paris : The Chairman and co-chairs of the International Donors’ Conference for the Palestinian state welcomed the recent developments in the region, saying that this furthers progress on the peace process.
The follow-up committee had met Monday night in Paris to review to what extent the donors who attended the Paris conference in December 2007 have delivered on their pledges, and to assess the implementation of the Palestinian Reform and Development Plan (PRDP), as well as review the current environment in which all parties are working to promote Palestinian economic recovery and institution building.
A statement issued by the committee here Tuesday said that the chair and co-chairs reaffirmed their support for the policies currently pursued by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and the Prime Minister.
They also welcomed the implementation of the PRDP, especially in the security sector, and they voiced their support for the work done at the Berlin conference in support of Palestinian security and the rule of law on June 24.
They “strongly” welcomed the fact that of the total amount of aid pledged in Paris, USD 7.7 billion over 3 years, the international community has already disbursed more than USD 920 million in six months in direct budgetary support and signed for USD one billion for bilateral agreements with the Palestinian Authority (PA) for development projects.
According to the statement, this “unprecedented level and rapid disbursement of contributions demonstrates the strong support of the international community to the Palestinian government.” It stressed that the priority over the coming months will be to “secure contributions of Arab League members,” as this would be “crucial” to fix the budgetary gap and to support the Palestinian institutions.
The chair and the co-chairs believe that the success of the Palestinian Investment Conference of Bethlehem in May is “very encouraging and sent strong positive signals” to the Palestinian private sector.
“Restrictions by the Government of Israel on Palestinian movement and access continue to weigh heavily on the economic outlook,” the statement affirmed, adding that without a “significant” lifting of such barriers in the West Bank, and a relaxation of the restrictions on humanitarian and commercial flows to the Gaza Strip, there is a “much-reduced prospect” for private sector recovery, public and private investment programs will continue to be “delayed, and consequently any economic recovery will continue to be inhibited.” It called on Israel to make full and rapid implementation of the package it agreed to a high priority, although there has been some progress on the package of measures agreed with Israel and launched by Quartet Representative Tony Blair in May to boost the Palestinian economy and aid preparations for statehood.
The statement also indicated that the chair and co-chairs welcome recent political developments and notably the truce in Gaza, affirming that “a lasting solution to the situation in Gaza can only be achieved through peaceful means.” They urged that the calm be respected in full and expressed the hope that it would endure, and lead to a return to normal civilian life and the rule of the PA in Gaza.
They called on all parties to “sustain the controlled re-opening of the crossings in and out of Gaza for both humanitarian reasons and commercial flow, and stand ready to assist in the economic rehabilitation of Gaza.” Meanwhile, the chair and co-chairs agreed to continue their efforts to ensure that the Paris Conference outcome helps change the situation on the ground.
The statement indicated that the committee will meet again in September and that it took note of the upcoming AHLC meeting in New York in September also.
Participants in the meeting included French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner as host, Tony Blair in his capacity as special representative of the Quartet, European Commissioner responsible for External Relations and European Neighborhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner, and a representative of the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs as chair of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC).