Brown’s boost for Middle East peace
Chancellor offers ‘ economic roadmap’ to ending conflict
GORDON Brown presented himself as Middle Eastern peacemaker on the West Bank yesterday.
Returning to the region following his dash home to vote on the anti- terror Bill, he unveiled plans to fight unemployment among Palestinians and build a lasting peace settlement with Israel. A frenzied day of activity saw the Chancellor witness poverty at a West Bank refugee camp, visit a Ramallah girls’ school and have a whirlwind round of meetings with Palestinian and Israeli leaders.
He revealed he would be hosting not one, but two Middle Eastern summits in London early next month.
‘ We want to build a stronger economic future,’ he declared as he outlined plans for an ‘ economic roadmap’ to underpin the political roadmap to peace.
Flanked by the Palestinian finance minister Salam Fayyad and Israel’s deputy prime minis- ter and finance minister Ehud Olmert, the Chancellor said it was a ‘privilege’ to have brought the two men together. It was the first time they had shared the same platform, he noted.
He expressed ‘ abhorrence’ of the overnight bombings in Jordan, but emphasised that it would ‘ not divert us from long term plans for the region’.
Both ministers praised Brown for his efforts at ‘ regeneration’, while Mr Fayyad described him as a world leader, noting his efforts in fighting poverty in Africa. Mr Olmert said the Middle East is at a crossroads and the leadership of Palestinian president Abu Mazen had created a ‘new dynamic of co- operation’.
The Chancellor appeared totally unfazed by his flights to and from London as he engaged Palestinian schoolgirls in conversation about their ambitions, with most wanting to be doctors, lawyers and pop stars. In one exchange, he remarked to a class of 11-year- olds: ‘No one wants to be a finance minister. Not even me!’
At the core of Mr Brown’s message was that more money is needed for the region.
He threw his support behind a plan by the European Investment Bank to advance up to £ 240million of loans to small businesses in the West Bank and Gaza. ‘The aim must be in Gaza alone over the next period to create 100,000 jobs,’ Mr Brown said. He also backed plans to raise up to £600million for rebuilding the infrastructure of the region. Mr Brown has invited the Israeli and Palestinian finance ministers to attend the Group of Seven summit of finance ministers in London on December 3 and has convened two more high- level meetings – one of donors and another in support of his small business initiative. He seems intent on taking charge of the Middle East economic agenda in much the same way as he led the way globally in obtaining debt relief for Africa. Mr Brown built political support for his ambitious plans for Palestine with a series of rapidfire diplomatic sessions. A meeting with Palestinian president Abu Mazen was cancelled because of the mourning for victims of the bombings in Amman. But he did meet Israel’s Prime Minister Ariel Sharon before returning to London.
One big fear is that, as with previous rescue missions for the Palestinians, the cash could be diverted or go missing. Mr Brown insisted there would be ‘full transparency’ to avoid corruption. He said he had won a promise that ‘ not one penny would go anywhere but the Palestinian Treasury’. A 2003 report by the International Monetary Fund found that as much as £420million of foreign aid to Palestine went missing.
a.brummer@dailymail.co.uk