JERUSALEM, April 11, 2012 (WAFA) - The European Union contributed €22.5 million to the payment of the March salaries and pensions of around 84,000 Palestinian civil servants and pensioners in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, an EU press release said Wednesday.

“With this new monthly contribution, the EU demonstrates once again its strong commitment to support the Palestinian Authority's efforts to maintain regular payments to its employees and pensioners, as well as to ensure the delivery of basic public services to the Palestinian citizens both in the West Bank and Gaza,” said EU representative to the Palestinian Authority (PA) John Gatt-Rutter.

'In line with the conclusions of last month's Ad-Hoc Liaison Committee meeting in Brussels, the EU calls on all donors to provide their financial support to the PA in a timely and reliable manner in these very challenging times for the Palestinian Authority,” he added.

The PA was several days late in making the March salary citing a severe financial crisis as the reason for the delay.

M.S.