Rice: US aims to up Palestinian economic aid to $400 mln
Secretary of state says 'US making an unprecedented effort to increase opportunities for Palestinians.' On peace process: If you wait for the perfect time in the Middle East, it's never going to come
WASHINGTON - The United States plans to boost its economic development aid to the Palestinians in this year's budget to around 400 million dollars, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday.
"The US is making an unprecedented effort to increase opportunities for Palestinians," she told the independent Aspen Institute.
"For the next fiscal year, we have asked the Congress to approve 400 million in economic support for the Palestinian government and its people," she said, referring to the 2007-2008 budget which began on October 1.
Rice was taking part in a meeting of a partnership between the private and public sector launched this year by the administration of President George W. Bush in a bid to boost the Palestinian economy.
The budget went before Congress for approval on October 22 and has yet to be passed but would represent a huge increase compared to the 50 million dollars spent in 2007 for supporting Palestinian economic development.
'PA must fight terrorism'
Turning her attention to the peace process, Rice said an agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority by the end of 2008 was attainable, adding that "if you wait for the perfect time in the Middle East, it's never going to come. There are always complications in the Middle East. But I believe that there are a few things that we have going for us.
"We are all fully invested in this effort. It's a real opportunity to achieve the goal that President Bush first laid out of two democratic states living side by side in peace and security. And in fact, I've been asked, is this really the time for something like this," the secretary of state said.
According to her, "most Palestinians now believe thatIsrael will always be its neighbor and that no Palestinian state will be born through violence. And for most Arab states, the question now is not whether Israel is going to exist, but on what terms to make peace with Israel.
"Israelis need to see that a future state of Palestine will be a source of their security, not a threat to it. And that means the Palestinian Authority must be able to meet its responsibilities to fight terrorism and to enforce law among Palestinians," Rice said.
