UN aid; study of environmental damage in Palestinian territories

The UN secretary General Kofi Annan on Wednesday stressed that the UN will transport all humanitarian aids to all Palestinian territories.

Annan said on Wednesday in New York that the UN, and at the full support of the four- member committee has agreed on the need to secure a complete humanitarian outlet with the aim of improving the conditions of the Palestinian people.

Also, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) yesterday said it will study the Palestinian territories to outline the state of the ecosystem and identify major areas of environmental damage requiring urgent attention.

The announcement comes after UNEP Executive Director Klaus Toepfer completed a recent visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories in preparation of the environmental desk study, which will be based on review of available, relevant studies and interviews with officials and experts.

Toepfer the process would be an objective one and taken in close cooperation with both parties, and with the aim of listing priorities and proposing recommendations to solve environmental problems.

"The common understanding is clearly that urgent attention and action is needed to address environmental needs in the region," he said.

The desk study will be finalized in November and presented to the UNEP Governing Council next February, the UN said.