Palestinian Finance Minister receives German Foreign Minister in Bethlehem

Saturday May 05, 2007 13:45

by Rami Almeghari - IMEMC & Agencies

Palestinian Finance Minister, Salam Fayad, met on Saturday with the German foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier in the West Bank city of Bethlehem.

Finance Minister, Salam Fayad / archive photo

The meeting is the first between a high-profile European official and a member of the Palestinian coalition cabinet, after the installation in March of a national unity Palestinian government.

Fayad told reporters that the meeting aimed at easing the daily suffering of the Palestinians by finding a ways of ‘honorable’ stable living.

Fayad complained to his guest about the continued Western-led economic embargo as well as withholding by Israel of tax money revenues, due to the Palestinian authority, since Hamas has taken power in last January’s parliamentary elections.

Fayad also called on Steinmeier , whose country currently presides the European Union, to enlarge the temporary mechanism for assistance to the Palestinian Authority, and decrease the debts of the Palestinian private sector.

The EU had agreed to a temporary mechanism of assistance to sideline the former Hamas-comprised Palestinian government.

Despite the more moderate Fatah shared power with the governing Hamas early on March, the international economic sanctions were not lifted.

In the meantime, the German foreign minister has met with the Palestinian minister and expected to meet with the Palestinian information minister, yet he would not meet with Hamas ministers.

The European Union, which is a part of the international quartet for peace in the Middle East, is still demanding the Palestinian government to recognize Israel ostensibly, in a time this government has already honored past signed agreements with Israel, which acknowledged Israel’s right to exist.