EU May Have Funded Terrorists

The report cites documentary evidence seen by a Parliamentary working group -- set up last year after allegations that EU funds to the Palestinian Authority (PA) had been misused -- that between $21,000 to $39,000 of EU funds may have been transferred to terrorists. It's the first time that the EU has said that its own funds to the PA may not have been used for their intended purpose, although the report does not find sufficient evidence to prove wrongdoing one way or the other. "There existed two different ways of defining evidence and that each led to a different conclusion as to whether it could be established or not that PA money has been diverted to finance illegal activities, including terrorism," the report says. The allegations relate to funds given by the EU directly to the Palestinian Authority account from June 2001 until December 2002. It is not clear when the parliament will publish the report. (EUobserver.com)