GENERAL AFFAIRS AND EXTERNAL RELATIONS COUNCIL INTERVIEW GIVEN BY MME
CATHERINE COLONNA, MINISTER DELEGATE FOR EUROPEAN AFFAIRS, TO "RFI"

www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/actu/bulletin.gb.asp?liste=20060411.gb.html


(Luxembourg, 10 April 2006)

The situation in the Palestinian Territories is indeed difficult. What's to
be done? We have decided, today, to continue the humanitarian aid - this
accounts for over half the aid granted by the Europeans - and obviously also
the aid meeting the people's most essential needs. The Palestinian Authority
will also have to be strengthened. As you know, the President of the
Palestinian Authority is scheduled to come to Paris on 23rd of this month.

But we can't, in the face of a Palestinian government governed by Hamas
which hasn't, so far, made any gesture to respect the three principles the
Europeans and international community have laid down, continue as if nothing
had happened. So we are in a phase of re-examining direct budgetary aid.
We'll have to look at what we can continue case by case and pretty strictly,
and what we must, on the contrary, regard as not being possible at this
moment..



AMBAFRANCE