The United States has acknowledged that the Palestinian Authority has failed to end corruption
and graft.
U.S. officials said PA Chairman Yasser Arafat continues to control all
finances coming in to the PA. They said that despite efforts at reform,
Arafat has managed to shuffle a range of funds so he can ensure the loyalty
of Palestinian insurgents and his ruling Fatah movement.
The State Department appeared embarrassed by reports over the weekend
that Arafat has embezzled huge amounts of money. This includes the transfer
of $100,000 per month to Arafat's wife, Suha, who lives in Paris with her
daughter.
For the last three years, the United States and European Union have
tightened controls over the relay of funds to the PA, Middle East Newsline reported. Brussels and
Washington have insisted on transparency in the way donor funds have been
spent.
"The history of financial improprieties in the Palestinian Authority, I
think, is well known and longstanding, and, in fact, has been a major
concern of ours," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said on Monday.
"I think the financial systems that have been established are still in their
infancy."
Boucher said the money being funneled to Arafat's wife does not include
U.S. funds relayed to the PA. He did not elaborate.
A Finance Minister Salam Fayyad has made progress in
supervising the flow of donor funds. But they acknowledge that Arafat and
his aides have not cooperated.
"Not all Palestinian officials have fully cooperated with this effort,"
Boucher said. "So we have urged and we continue to urge that the sphere of
accountability be further widened and bring in all the finance of the
Palestinian Authority."
