Summary: April 20, 2005: Javier SOLANA, EU High Representative for the CFSP, announces the establishment of the EU Coordinating Office for Palestinian Police Support (Brussels)
Javier Solana, EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, made the following comments on the occasion of the establishment today in Ramallah of the European Union Coordinating Office for Palestinian Police Support:
"I am pleased to announce that we are setting up the EU Coordinating Office for Palestinian Police Support today in Ramallah.
With this initiative in the field of police support, another key part of the Action Plan proposed last year and including an array of actions in the fields of security, reforms, elections and the economy, is now coming to fruition.
This important event is the culmination of a dialogue between the EU and the PA and testifies to the commitment of Palestinian leaders - in primis Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia and Minister of Interior Nasser Youssef - to police transformation.
Assisting the Palestinian Authority on the crucial path to assuming responsibility for law and order and improving its civil police and law enforcement capacity is and will remain a priority for the EU. Today's agreement is an important step to that end."
Background
Today's exchange of letters between the EU and the Palestinian Authority (PA) establishes the European Union Coordinating Office for Palestinian Police Support (EU COPPS). The exchange of letters was signed in Ramallah by Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia and the EU Special Representative to the Middle East Peace Process Marc Otte.
The agreement involves a twin-track approach to assist the PA in developing a modern, effective and accountable civil police service. It entails providing support both for operational priorities and longer-term transformational change. The formulation of a Transformational and an Operational Plan, owned by the PA, remains the priority in providing long-term capacity building. In the short-term, the project aims to improve operational capacity and performance on the ground. A
number of operational projects are currently being implemented. The objective is to deliver urgently needed training and equipment that will enable the police to deliver enhanced services to the Palestinian people and help to create a climate free from the fear of violence.
A team currently consisting of four senior EU police advisers headed by Chief Superintendent Jonathan McIvor has been deployed in the West Bank and Gaza since mid-January 2005. The team is based in the Ministry of Interior building in Ramallah. It acts primarily in co-ordinating EU Member State donor activity and assists in the creation of a coherent framework for change. It will be available to international donors for information and advice. It will also provide facilitation and advice to
those engaged in policing development, liaison with other stakeholders and will monitor and facilitate project implementation.
In December 2004, the European Council endorsed a programme of action proposed by the High Representative.
The programme aims to promote steps in four areas: security - including support to the Palestinian police -; Palestinian reforms; elections (the EU monitored the Palestinian presidential elections in January 2005) and economic recovery and development.
The European Council also stressed that these initiatives would need full cooperation from and between the parties, as well as coordination with other partners involved. The European Council reiterated its readiness to support the Palestinian Authority in taking responsibility for law and order.
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