Waiting for money amidst reports of mismanagement

The Palestinian losses over the first half of 1997 have amounted to US 230 million, double the amount of aid the Palestine National Authority had received from the donor countries over the same period, said Tchanmay Garighan, UN coordinator in the PNA areas.

Speaking at a press conference in Gaza, he said that even donations and aid from the donor countries to the PNA were delayed because of a number of factors.

The donor countries, he said, are still waiting to see concrete measures taken by the PNA to counter reported monetary mismanagement and corruption and to improve human rights conditions in its areas. The UN, he said, had increased the number of its officers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip after the Oslo Accords were signed between the PLO and Israel, from two up to 16 at present.