The Foreign Ministry has denied reports that any foreign country has opened any diplomatic offices anywhere in the autonomous Palestinian areas.
The claim follows reports last week from Europe that Germany had opened an office in Jericho to monitor use of money it has granted to the autonomous areas and that Holland and Greece were to follow.
In a statement issued Thursday, the Foreign Ministry said: “In light of recent — inaccurate — publication on the inauguration of a German office for coordinating and directing technical assistance for the autonomous areas, the spokesman of the Foreign Ministry wishes to clarify that no country has opened, or is set to open, a diplomatic representation in Jericho or Gaza.”
The ministry went on to say that “foreign relations are not within the competence of the Palestinian Authority, and the assistance offices which will be opened in the future by countries which have assistance agreements with the Palestinians will not have consular or diplomatic status.
“The opening of such offices is based on the declaration of principles and the Cairo Agreement and is to be done in strict accordance with those agreements and in coordination with Israel, which supports economic assistance for the development of the territories and for the welfare of their residents,” the ministry statement said.
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