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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Greece offers aid after flotilla ban |
| 2011-07-04 |
| Greece, meanwhile, offered to ferry humanitarian aid to the Palestinian Authority on Sunday after banning a pro-Palestinian flotilla bound for Gaza from departing from its ports and arresting the captain of one of the boats. In a telephone call with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou offered to ferry the humanitarian aid, mainly food and medicines, to Gaza in cooperation with the United Nations. “President Mahmoud Abbas considered the proposal positive and expressed his support,” said a statement by the prime minister’s office. There might be additional aid from Greece in addition to the supplies that would have gone on the flotilla. Greek authorities said on Friday that ships destined for Gaza were prohibited from leaving Greek ports — even though they would be sailing into international waters. Greece offered no formal justification for the move. In a separate statement released on Sunday, Greece’s Foreign Ministry said the Greek ban was imposed because of safety concerns and in line with a UN request and EU recommendations. |
| Posted by:Steve White |