Birzeit-- British Minister for Overseas Development, Lady Chalker, today visited Birzeit University with a delegation from the British Government funding agency, the Overseas Development Agency (ODA), accompanied by representatives of the British Consulate in East Jerusalem and the British Council.
The UK will spend nearly £20 million in the fiscal year 1996/97 on bilateral and multilateral aid to the Palestinians. The bilateral programme focuses on five key areas: water and sanitation, health, good government, education and finance.
Lady Chalker met with Dr. Hanna Nasir, President of Birzeit University, other members of the university administration and heads of community outreach programs working on joint projects with the ODA. The university officials and delegation discussed food quality control, women and law, and community health concerns.
In response to an intervention by Dr. Ramzi Sansur, head of the Center for Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, Lady Chalker promised that the British government would supply microtoxin testing kits necessary for the testing of animal feed products, which have given the Center cause for concern in the Palestinian territories recently.
Lady Chalker is the second British Government Minister to visit Birzeit. The first visit was by David Hunt, British Minister for Science and Technology, in October 1994.
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