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| Middle East |
| French Socialist accuses PA of using EU funds for terror |
| 2003-02-23 |
| A member of the European Parliament has accused the Palestinian Authority of abusing European Union funds and allowing at least some of it to fall into the hands of terror organizations. "There is reasonable and solid suspicion that a considerable part of the 1.4 billion euros the European Union has transferred to the Palestinian Authority since the Oslo Agreement has been abused by senior PA officials and in part reached terrorist organizations," said Francois Zimeray of the French Socialists Party at a meeting with the heads of the World Jewish Congress in New York on Friday. You mean the money didn't go for groceries? Wotta surprise. Zimeray said that apart from the EU funds to the PA, which went to unknown destinations, considerable contributions the PA received separately from European states did not reach their designated destination and disappeared. Zimeray told WJC members that in the years in which the EU sent funds regularly to the PA, the EU did not receive orderly reports of how the money was used. Some of it went to pay the wages of teachers and policemen, he said. "But a lot of money reached private and secret bank accounts that senior PA officials had in Swiss banks, and some of the money found its way to terrorist organizations," he said. According to Zimeray, "only recently has the EU become more alert regarding the funds going to the PA. Until three or four months ago the EU did not show special interest in what the PA was doing with the money." "It's only money, after all. Taxpayers have lots of it..." Zimeray initiated the legislation which was recently passed in the European Parliament to hold a comprehensive inquiry into the PA's use of EU funds, following suspicions the money was deposited in private accounts of senior PA officials. He told Haaretz that despite the hostile European attitude toward Israel, the status of PA Chairman Yasser Arafat has seriously deteriorated in the EU. "Arafat is no longer the icon he was in Europe until recently," Zimeray said. He's no longer the icon he was in Paleostine until recently, either. And they say Bush is stoopid... |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #2 I wouldn't want to be the auditor, given that the EU goes through I'm waiting for this story: Greasing the Weasels 12 billion in escrowed oil for food funds lost in the fray to peace |
| Posted by: dsaucer 2003-02-23 19:54:33 |
| #1 If the EU begins an investigation and undercovers evidence of the use of EU funds for terror, they leave themselves wide open for beaucoup lawsuits. |
| Posted by: mhw 2003-02-23 13:23:14 |