US diplomat praises Palestinian security in Nablus
NABLUS, West Bank (AFP) — US consul general Jacob Wallace on Wednesday praised the Palestinians for restoring security to the streets of Nablus, and announced a 1.3-million-dollar aid package to the West Bank city.
"The recent actions by the Palestinian Authority have resulted in significant improvements on the streets of Nablus," the consulate in Jerusalem quoted Wallace as saying during a visit to the flashpoint city.
His visit comes just two weeks after more than 300 Palestinian police reinforcements were deployed there as part of a programme to restore order in the city centre, which was hard hit by the chaos of the 2000 uprising.
As a result of the changes, Wallace said that the US would immediately inject more than 1.3 million dollars into several projects including a girls' school and the improvement of social services.
The first phase of the internationally drafted Middle East peace plan, known as the roadmap, requires Palestinians to end violence and impose effective security to dismantle "terrorist" organisations.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas have agreed that a commitment to implementing the roadmap would be included in a statement for an upcoming peace meeting in the United States.
But both sides remain deeply divided over the content of the joint document they wish to present at the talks, expected to be held at Annapolis in Maryland before the end of the month.
