16 November 2002
Palestinian Reform Task Force Notes Impact of Violence, Terror
(State Department Media Note Released November 16) (630)
The Task Force on Palestinian Reform says "the continued violence and
terror, continued restrictions on the movement of persons and goods,
and deterioration of the humanitarian situation constitute a
significant hindrance to reforms."
The Task Force met in Jordan November 14-15. It is composed of
representatives of the United States, the European Union, Russia, the
U.N. Secretary General, Norway, Japan, the World Bank, and the
International Monetary Fund. The role of the Task Force is to monitor
and support implementation of Palestinian civil reforms, and guide the
international donor community in its support for the Palestinians'
reform agenda.
The text of the Task Force statement follows:
(begin text)
U.S. Department of State
Media Note
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, D.C.
November 16, 2002
Statement of the Task Force on Palestinian Reform, November 14-15,
2002, Jordan
The Task Force on Palestinian Reform issued the following statement on
November 15, 2002:
The Task Force on Palestinian Reform, composed of representatives of
the Quartet (U.S., EU, Russia and the U.N. Secretary General), Norway,
Japan, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund, met in
Jordan November 14-15. This meeting, hosted by the Danish EU
Presidency, was the Task Force's third, having met previously in
London on July 10, and in Paris on August 22-23.
The role of the Task Force is to monitor and support implementation of
Palestinian civil reforms, and guide the international donor community
in its support for the Palestinians' reform agenda. Since its
formation, the Task Force has worked with Palestinians to develop in
greater detail the Reform Action Plan, which highlights Palestinian
commitments, establishes benchmarks, and identifies obstacles to
reform and areas for donor assistance. The Task Force has done this by
consulting directly with Palestinian executive and legislative
officials, with Palestinian civil society, with the Israeli
government, and with the donor community.
Day-to-day activities of the Task Force are delegated to seven Reform
Support Groups, composed of donor representatives working in the West
Bank and Gaza, in the areas of Civil Society, Elections, Financial
Accountability, Judicial and Rule of Law Reform, Market Economics,
Local Government, and Ministerial and Civil Service Reform. The Reform
Support Groups work to operationalize the reform plans and monitor
implementation, inter alia through identifying appropriate benchmarks
to measure successful implementation of -- and barriers that impede --
reforms.
At the meeting in Jordan, the Task Force reviewed status reports from
the seven Reform Support Groups, which showed that progress in some
areas has been considerable, while the reform process in others has
been slow. Based on the reports from the seven Reform Support Groups,
and consultations with Palestinian officials, the Task Force
identified the highest priority actions in order to keep momentum in
the reform process, including the immediate resumption of monthly
transfers of Palestinian tax revenues and transfer of arrearages in
accordance with an agreed monitoring mechanism to ensure transparency
and financial accountability. The Task Force also met with Palestinian
Authority ministers and Israeli government representatives to discuss
the steps that need to be taken to facilitate the reform process.
Given its serious impact on the Palestinian reform efforts, the Task
Force also discussed the ongoing Palestinian humanitarian crises with
particular focus on the follow-up to the report of United Nations
Special Envoy Bertini. The Task Force recognizes that the continued
violence and terror, continued restrictions on the movement of persons
and goods, and deterioration of the humanitarian situation constitute
a significant hindrance to reforms. Following the discussions in
Jordan, the Task Force will provide a detailed progress report to the
Quartet, which will meet in December 2002. The Task Force will also
fully inform the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) which coordinates
international donor support to the Palestinians. The Task Force
considers these efforts critical to building the foundations of a
viable, independent Palestinian State living side by side in peace and
security with Israel.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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