Press release 22 September 2008
Ministry for Foreign Affairs

Carl Bildt participating in international meeting on support to Palestinians

Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt is participating in a meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) in New York on 22 September. The AHLC is the main body for international coordination of state-building aid to the Palestinian territories and is an important forum for the peace process in the Middle East. The AHLC meeting is being hosted by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The participants include US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Russia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov.

At the meeting the Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad will report on the implementation of the Palestinian reform and development plan. Ministers will also discuss how developments in the West Bank and Gaza affect the peace process, in particular the questions of freedom of movement and settlements.

"It is important that the peace negotiations also continue to intensify during the political changes in the United States and Israel this autumn," says Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt.

"Some positive steps have been taken to improve freedom of movement in the Palestinian territories, but settlement policy remains an obstacle to developments. Much more needs to be done to get the Palestinian economy on its feet," says Minister for International Development Cooperation Gunilla Carlsson.

--------

Sweden is one of the largest donors of support to the Palestinians. This year Sweden is contributing some SEK 720 million to Palestinian state-building and humanitarian emergency relief.