Japan grants Palestine $ 7.45 mln for road maintenance and sanitation improvement

The Japanese government has granted Palestine an aid of U.S.$ 7.45 million (879 million yen) for a project to maintain and improve roads in the West Bank and improve the sanitation system in Khan Yunis.

A statement of the Japanese embassy in Rabat said the Grant agreement is to be signed this Thursday by Japanese ambassador to Israel, Yutaka Kawashima, and Palestinian minister of public works, Azzam Al-Ahmad.

A total of 596 million yen ($ 5.05 million) will go to the project of improving and maintaining main roads in the West Bank while the remaining 283 million yen ($ 2.4 million) will procure vacuum tracks and other equipment for sewage collection and processing.

With this new grant, the total amount of Japan's grant assistance to Palestine for 1998 stands at around $ 34 million.Since September 1993, when Palestine and Israel signed a peace agreement, Japan has extended a total of $ 428.5 million in assistance.