European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Louis Michel signed a 14-million-euro financing agreement Wednesday for the Food Security Programme coordinated by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza. "The EC contribution will go a long way toward helping the most vulnerable among the Palestinian refugees survive and cope with the effects of their dire economic situation," dpa quoted UNRWA Deputy Commissioner- General Filippo Grandi as saying at the signing ceremony. "This support is also an important message for the refugee community that they have not been forgotten; their needs remain at the forefront of the international community's concerns," he added. "In signing this agreement I hope to reaffirm the solidarity of the European Commission with the civilian victims of the conflict," Michel said. The European Commission has mobilized nearly 37 million euros in 2005 for the needs of the Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Lebanon, a statement by the commission said Wednesday.
