RUSSIAN HUMANITARIAN AID DELIVERED FOR PALESTINIAN POPULATION OF THE WEST BANK AND GAZA STRIP

Unofficial translation from Russian

PRESS RELEASE

By decision of the Government of the Russian Federation, an Emergency Situations Ministry plane on July 20 delivered to Amman a humanitarian relief consignment for the Palestinian population of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Our country gratuitously handed over medicines and medical equipment to the Palestinian National Authority.

The delivery was carried out with regard to the extremely complicated humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territories. As a result of the unceasing Palestinian-Israeli confrontation the economic, social and administrative infrastructure of the PNA has seriously suffered and a particularly grave situation has developed in Palestinian refugee camps. The drugs and medical equipment for the Palestinians is a Russian contribution to international efforts to rectify the situation and alleviate the sufferings of the civilian Palestinian population. The PNA leadership has highly assessed this action.

Moscow reaffirms readiness to continue rendering effective assistance to the Palestinian population in the humanitarian sphere. Simultaneously Russia will work energetically further towards overcoming the crisis in Palestinian-Israeli settlement and for a resumption of the negotiating process between Israel and the Palestinians on the basis of the roadmap so that all the region's peoples can live in conditions of peace, stability and prosperity.

July 20, 2004