Patten Dismisses Probe of EU Funds
Charles Johnson
Wed Nov 27, 2002 at 9:57 am PST • Views: 415
Head EUnuch Chris Patten continues to block a probe into Palestinian misuse of European Union funds.
EU Commissioner for External Affairs Chris Patten dismissed the call for a probe, saying it would undermine moderates in the Palestinian Authority, and thus scupper any hopes of halting the cycle of violence in the Middle East.
“An inquiry would make it enormously difficult to continue providing aid (to the Palestinian Authority),” Patten told a meeting of the Parliament’s foreign affairs committee. …
Earlier this year, Israel accused the Palestinian Authority of using EU aid to finance “terrorism”, but the Commission said at that time its checks uncovered no evidence of any wrongdoing.
In a robust rebuttal of suggestions that the EU had been soft on Palestinian militants, Patten said the Commission had led international pressure for reform of the Authority.
“We have insisted on reform since we began the administrative assistance in 2001,” he said.
“If we sunder relations with the Palestinian Authority it will be very difficult to claim that the EU is playing any kind of role in the Middle East region,” Patten added.
Frank says: