FRENCH PROBE BANK TRANSFERS TO ARAFAT WIDOW

WASHINGTON, April 20 (AFP) -- French investigators are tracking USD 7 million (EUR 5.3 million) transferred by PLO treasurer Nizar Abu Ghazaleh to the Paris bank account of ex-Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's widow, The Wall Street Journal said Wednesday.

Palestinian officials said the Palestine Liberation Organisation controlled a bank account in Tunisia from which millions of euros in unexplained payments were made to Suha Arafat - payments they suspect were connected to contracts issued by the Palestinian Authority (PA) under Yasser Arafat before he died last year, the report said.

The officials are trying to find out whether the money transferred [was used] ""create a war chest in case the PLO fell back on hard times".

The investigation follows a European Union probe that found no mishandling by the PLO of the more than USD 500 million (EUR 384 million) the EU donated to the Palestinian Authority from 2000 to 2003. The French inquiry focuses on the legality of the funds passing through Suha Arafat's Paris account.

Not to worry, if the EU ever finds the teensiest, the weensiest defalcation of its funds, it will immediately do some unspecified something. Posthaste!:

Diversion of any amount of funds, regardless of whether they originate from Israeli transfers or donor financing, is unacceptable to the European Union. No evidence of EU funds being diverted to terrorist activities has yet been found. What is more, the discovery of whatsoever misuse of EU funds would be immediately acted upon.

The EU remains convinced that deepening reform in the PA and improving its financial management and audit capacities is the best preventive strategy against the misuse of funds and corruption in the PA. The reform of the financial management of the PA is the objective of several key conditions attached to the EU financial assistance.

Not to worry, it's all an outrageous Zionist smear:

Suha Arafat, Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat's wife, on Thursday accused Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of "inventing" reports that French prosecutors were investigating transfers totaling $11.5m.into her bank accounts.

"What's strange in the fact that [Yasser Arafat] should send money [scil., ba-zillions] to his wife abroad, especially since I am working for the Palestinian cause and interests?" *

And please, don't worry about this or this.

Ah, if only the phone service in France and Gaza were better, exculpating answers would be forthcoming. Posthaste!:

The Wall Street Journal said that neither Suha Arafat nor her family members, nor PLO Chairman Mahmud Abbas or officials of Al Bahr or the PA could be reached for comment.

* Then there is the pesky Palestinian view:

What remains to be explained is why the Palestinian First Lady is living in Paris in the first place instead of remaining with her people and sharing their plight. She was happy enough to be in the Occupied Territories when Hilary Clinton and other dignitaries would come to pay their respects. And where did this money come from if it is not money that rightfully belongs to the Palestinian people? And why should such an enormous sum be allocated to one small Palestinian family -- Mrs. Arafat and her daughter -- if not to sustain a lavish Parisian lifestyle? The same amount of money could support almost 6,000 Palestinian families for an entire year, given that many survive on no more than $6 per day.

What seems normal to Mrs. Arafat is shocking to ordinary Palestinians. Can their leaders really think they are so stupid? And can anyone point to any valuable services Suha Arafat has performed on behalf of her people? Had the bank transfers not been revealed, no one would have known anything about her.