Blair unveils projects to boost PA

Quartet envoy Tony Blair unveiled a series of projects yesterday aimed at strengthening Palestinian Authority institutions and the Palestinian economy.

Blair hopes to raise the money for these projects at a conference of donor nations that opens in Paris on December 17. His idea is that each country at the conference should "adopt" a specific project.

Following a meeting in Jerusalem with Defense Minister Ehud Barak and PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, Blair announced they set up a process for implementing the projects.

Blair has earmarked four projects for immediate implementation. One is the "Peace Valley" project in Jericho, which involves establishing a joint Palestinian-Israeli-Jordanian agricultural and industrial park with Japanese funding. Products made in Peace Valley will be shipped to Jordan and from there to Europe and the Gulf states.

Another is the repair of a sewage system in Beit Lahiya, in the northern Gaza Strip. Though Hamas's takeover of Gaza has meant that most of the projects are earmarked for the West Bank, the sewage system was put on the list because it is on the brink of collapse and represents a serious health hazard to Gaza residents.

Also on the list is the "Ankara Forum" plan for building industrial parks in several locations in the West Bank, with the goal of creating thousands of jobs. President Shimon Peres, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Turkish President Abdulluh Gul signed an agreement on this matter last week. The first park will be constructed at the Tarkumiyeh checkpoint.

Finally, Blair is seeking to boost tourism to Bethlehem. His idea is that the PA should construct new tourism facilities in the city, while Israel would promise to ease access to the town, especially for Christian pilgrims.

In addition to these projects, Blair has several ideas in mind for the medium term. These include renovating West Bank towns and cities, constructing massive housing projects in both the West Bank and Gaza, encouraging investment in PA businesses, and developing a new curriculum for PA schools.