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OPT: Palestinian justice system essential to Mideast peace, says Rice

Berlin conference exceeds requests for funds to upgrade police, courts

By: David McKeeby
Staff Writer

Washington -- Security and the rule of law represent the foundations of any successful state, says Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, citing $242.3 million in total new aid pledged to revamp the Palestinian justice system, which is an essential ingredient in the Middle East peace process.

'To feel invested in a future state, Palestinians must have confidence that their police, courts and penal system are dedicated to upholding the rule of law and respecting human rights,' Rice told representatives from more than 40 nations in Berlin for the Conference in Support of Palestinian Civil Security and Rule of Law. 'Every link in what we call the chain of security must be intact and unbreakable.'

The $242.3 million in pledges at the June 24 conference exceeded the $189.9 million requested by Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to finance his government's plans to improve the Palestinian Authority's court system and train and equip its 7,000-strong Palestinian police force.

Rice welcomed the new aid and urged nations to honor the $7.4 billion in international pledges previously raised in Paris in December 2007 aimed at improving conditions for Palestinian communities -- a key component of a renewed drive toward peace launched at the U.S.-sponsored Annapolis Conference.

'The Palestinian Authority has put together a comprehensive list of projects that must be funded for the criminal justice sector to succeed,' Rice said. 'Because of the interrelated nature of the criminal justice sector, it is crucial for the donor community to take on all the projects that the [Palestinian Authority] has identified. Neglecting any one could jeopardize the entire effort.'

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has been working with the Palestinian Authority on post-Annapolis reforms on behalf of the Quartet -- the United Nations, the European Union, Russia and the United States -- agreed with Rice, calling new courthouses, police stations, training programs and related items 'fundamental for a two-state solution.'

Security improvements also must be followed by Israeli action on opening of West Bank checkpoints to facilitate the movement of goods and workers and by the freezing of Israeli settlement activity, as required under the Quarter's road map plan. (See 'Rice Warns Israel on Settlement Expansion.')

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said that while most Israelis support a two-state solution, a future Palestinian state must be a partner for peace.

America's parallel $86 million investment in the Palestinian security forces and presidential guard have made a difference, Rice said, as seen in recent Palestinian successes in Jenin and elsewhere in the West Bank. By funding similar improvements to the police and judiciary, she said, the Berlin conference marks another step toward peace.

'Our commitments here in support of the Palestinian people and the rule of law will aid the emergence of a functioning Palestinian state,' Rice said. 'They will support conditions for economic growth and social progress. And ultimately, they will lay the foundation of a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.'

QUARTET CALLS FOR CALM

Rice met with Israeli and Palestinian negotiators on the sidelines of the Berlin conference, which was followed by a Quartet meeting as reports of rocket and mortar strikes on Israel from the Gaza Strip threatened a six-day, Egyptian-brokered truce between Israelis and Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.

'The Quartet urged that the calm be respected in full and expressed the hope that it would endure, and lead to improved security for Palestinians and Israelis alike,' read a statement issued by the group following its meeting.

Two Israelis in Sederot were injured in the attack, which Islamic Jihad claimed to have launched in retaliation for the death of one of its commanders while he was being arrested by Israeli security forces in the West Bank town of Nablus.

While the cease-fire does not apply to the West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority gradually is taking over security duties, the truce was intended to last for six months and require militant groups in the Gaza Strip to stop launching attacks in exchange for a gradual lifting of border restrictions.