Oliver
12-17-2007, 09:10 PM
Wow, that's great news for the Palestinian Freedom:
PARIS, France (CNN) -- A major donors conference to raise funds for the Palestinians has gone beyond expectations, with donors pledging $7.4 billion to help build a Palestinian state, organizers said Monday.
France's Nicolas Sarkoxy, left, welcomes Tony Blair and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas on Monday.
Other delegations at the Paris meeting are offering aid in kind, such as the International Monetary Fund, which said it would provide monitoring of the Palestinians' promised reforms to reassure donors that their money would be used efficiently.
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad called the pledge of money a "vote of confidence" in the Palestinians.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said the support of donors needed to be repaid in the coming months with steps to create a lasting settlement.
"Over the next few months, we have to show people our capability of making the difference on the ground," said Blair, who co-hosted the conference in his new role as envoy for the so-called Middle East Quartet of the United Nations, United States, European Union and Russia.
The Paris conference focuses on short-term priorities for the Palestinians, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy said those include providing immediate support for the Palestinian people -- particularly those living in Gaza -- and stabilizing the Palestinian economy. http://i.l.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/2.0/mosaic/tabs/video.gif Watch CNN's Jim Bittermann explain the conference's aims » (http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/12/17/palestinian.conf/index.html#cnnSTCVideo)
Full Article: $7.4B pledged to Palestinians (http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/12/17/palestinian.conf/index.html)
PARIS, France (CNN) -- A major donors conference to raise funds for the Palestinians has gone beyond expectations, with donors pledging $7.4 billion to help build a Palestinian state, organizers said Monday.
France's Nicolas Sarkoxy, left, welcomes Tony Blair and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas on Monday.
Other delegations at the Paris meeting are offering aid in kind, such as the International Monetary Fund, which said it would provide monitoring of the Palestinians' promised reforms to reassure donors that their money would be used efficiently.
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad called the pledge of money a "vote of confidence" in the Palestinians.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said the support of donors needed to be repaid in the coming months with steps to create a lasting settlement.
"Over the next few months, we have to show people our capability of making the difference on the ground," said Blair, who co-hosted the conference in his new role as envoy for the so-called Middle East Quartet of the United Nations, United States, European Union and Russia.
The Paris conference focuses on short-term priorities for the Palestinians, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy said those include providing immediate support for the Palestinian people -- particularly those living in Gaza -- and stabilizing the Palestinian economy. http://i.l.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/2.0/mosaic/tabs/video.gif Watch CNN's Jim Bittermann explain the conference's aims » (http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/12/17/palestinian.conf/index.html#cnnSTCVideo)
Full Article: $7.4B pledged to Palestinians (http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/12/17/palestinian.conf/index.html)