Brussels, 06/06/2006 (Agence Europe) - On a visit to the Palestinian Territories on Monday, EU High Representative for CFSP, Javier Solana, said the EU would not abandon the Palestinians and would continue to supply them with humanitarian aid through an international aid mechanism currently being prepared. Following an interview with the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, in Ramallah, Solana told reporters that the EU was still the Palestinians' main donor and had not cut its support for the Palestinian people. AFP reports Solana as saying that Palestinians needed to know that the EU would not be abandoning them and would continue to support them as far as it can, adding that EU would provide more financial aid in 2006 than in 2005. The international Middle East 'Quartet' (the United States, Russia, the EU and the UN) has asked the EU to establish an alternative way of getting financial aid to the Palestinian Authority, ensuring it does not end up in the hands of the Hamas-led government. Solana said a new international fund could be established early next month. He said the EU was working on a mechanism whereby money would be spent on humanitarian issues, rallying as many donors as possible. On Monday, Solana also met with the Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, the Israeli deputy prime minister, Shimon Peres, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Defence Minister Amir Peretz.
Meanwhile, Mahmoud Abbas announced the breakdown of negotiations with Hamas on Monday evening and a national referendum on his plan to overcome the crisis, which includes implicit recognition of the state of Israel. Hamas' charter calls for the destruction of the state of Israel. President Abbas gave Hamas until midnight on Monday to change its views and accept the two state solution - a Palestinian state bordering on the state of Israel. Failing which, Abbas would be organising a referendum on the issue.