Quartet concerned at plight of Palestinians

Quartet concerned at plight of Palestinians
Paris |Reuters | Gulf News, 24-08-2002

An international task force including members of the "quartet" of Middle East peace brokers and key donors expressed concern yesterday about "the deteriorating Palestinian humanitarian situation".

"It (the task force) reiterated the Quartet's call for full, safe and unfettered access for international and humanitarian personnel," it said in a statement released after two-day talks with Palestinian and Israeli officials in Paris.

The International Task Force on Reform groups the "quartet" of the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations with the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and donor countries such as Japan and Norway.

Initiated by the United States, its aim is to get Middle East peace talks back on track by aiding the Palestinian Authority with financial and institutional reform, particularly in improving democracy and stamping out alleged corruption.

The statement did not elaborate on the task force's concern over Palestinians' conditions or blame Israel for them.

U.N. special envoy Catherine Bertini, who returned from the region this week, reported growing malnutrition and illness, precarious water supplies and difficulties in agriculture.

The statement noted the task force had reviewed status reports on reform efforts and "discussed the need for continued Palestinian commitment to the reform process, Israeli facilitation and support from the international community".

Palestinian Labour Minister Ghassan al-Khatib said after the talks that task force members had expressed satisfaction in the talks with reform efforts, but he warned further progress could be stunted by Israeli restrictions on freedom of movement in the West Bank and Gaza.

"The ceiling on the reform process is the Israeli restrictions and we are coming close to that ceiling," he said by telephone, adding planned January elections would be impeded by current restrictions on movement.

None of the other delegates could be immediately reached for comment after the talks, held at working group level and at a location undisclosed by the meeting's official host, Norway.

Israel says violence must stop before it withdraws the army from seven Palestinian-ruled cities which it reoccupied and put under curfew in June after a series of Palestinian suicide bombings.

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