| Information minister Yasser Abed Rabbo will head the Palestinian delegation due to discuss reforms with representatives from the leading Middle East diplomatic players this week in Paris. Labour minister Ghassan Khatib said the delegation would include nine officials, including himself, newly appointed finance minister Salam Fayad, economy minister Maher al-Masri, as well as representatives of the private sector and NGOs. Mid-level officials from the so-called quartet — the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia — plus Japan, Norway, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank are to meet in Paris on August 22 and 23. Khatib told AFP the delegation would brief the donor countries on the status of the reforms pledged by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in May and would "discuss what funds and measures are needed to overcome the difficulties facing the Palestinian Authority". |