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To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (18394)	12/2/2003 7:29:33 PM
From: Sully-	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793617

World Bank gives $15 mln to Palestinian Authority Reuters, 12.02.03, 6:36 PM ET WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The World Bank is giving the Palestinian Authority's finance ministry an emergency $15 million grant to improve battered education, health and social services in the West Bank and Gaza. "The grant will finance goods and operating expenditures such as water, electricity, rent, which are essential to deliver education, health and social welfare programs, as well as items to keep key economic management ministries functioning," the bank said in a statement Tuesday. The grant follows a $25 million transfer made at the end of last year for the same emergency services project in the West Bank and Gaza. "After three years of 'intifada' all Palestinian economic indicators show steep decline," the bank said. Gross domestic product has shrunk by more than 30 percent since before the Palestinian uprising and although there have been signs the economy is stabilizing, it is a very low level, the bank said. The Palestinian Authority's fiscal position is "precarious," the bank said, with a budget gap of about $25 million a month, partly because budget support from donors was lower than expected. "Donor support for the budget has dwindled rapidly in recent months, partly because support from Arab League states has fallen short of pledges, and partly because support from the European Commission -- while committed -- has been disbursed at a slower pace than anticipated," the bank said. Copyright 2003, Reuters News Service forbes.com

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (18394)	12/2/2003 8:06:29 PM
From: Sully-	Respond to of 793617

Israel Asks Powell Not to Meet Geneva Pact Authors VOA News 02 Dec 2003, 22:03 UTC Israel has asked U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell not to meet the architects of an unofficial Middle East peace plan. Vice Premier Ehud Olmert tells Israel Radio such a meeting would be a mistake, and would not help the peace process. U.S. officials say Mr. Powell is willing to meet later this week in Washington with the plan's co-authors, former Israeli minister Yossi Beilin and former Palestinian minister Yasser Abed Rabbo. Mr. Powell says the talks would not contradict Washington's support for the internationally-backed "road map" peace plan. But he says he should be able to meet with anyone who has ideas toward achieving peace. The State Department has called the initiative, known as the Geneva Accord, a "worthwhile" step, but stopped short of endorsing it. Israel's government has denounced the unofficial accord, which calls, among other things, for the creation of a Palestinian state in most of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and shared control of Jerusalem. In other diplomatic efforts, President Bush called Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak Tuesday to discuss ways to advance talks between the Israeli government and the new Palestinian cabinet. Egypt began meditating informal talks Tuesday between Palestinian militant groups to consider a possible suspension of attacks against Israel. The official opening of the talks is set for Thursday. Violence continued Tuesday in the occupied territories, where two Palestinians were killed in separate clashes in the West Bank. One Palestinian was killed by Israeli troops during a search for militants in Jenin. Witnesses say he was a member of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, an armed offshoot of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement. The second Palestinian was killed north of the city of Ramallah. Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters. voanews.com