26 July 2003
Saadi Al-Karnaz, Minister of Transportation, announced that the ministry will begin privatizing the Palestinian Airlines once the Gaza International Airport is reactivated. He stressed the need for investment in the airline to enable it to contribute to the building process and achieving economic stability.
Karnaz explained that the Engineering and Maintenance Department at the airport is ready to renovate the facility and is awaiting the necessary guarantees from the Quartet to begin work. He expressed hope that the upcoming meeting of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas could result in an agreement to begin work on the Gaza Airport, provided that the aforementioned guarantees and the necessary funding, estimated at $22 million, are available.
The minister announced that merging the Aviation Authority with the Ministry of Transportation was the decision of the Cabinet, based on the Basic Law and recommendations from the Palestinian Legislative Council, which requested that institutions and authorities be merged with concerned ministries, cancelled, or remain independent provided they are governed by specific laws. He indicated that 78 authorities were functioning independently, without monitoring.
Karnaz indicated that three of those independent authorities remain until now and will be merged with the Ministry of Transportation: the Aviation Authority, the Ports and Seaports Authority, and the Palestinian Airlines. A board of directors has been created for the latter, presided over by the minister. He announced that a decision has been made lately to annex the Ports Authority to the ministry in anticipation of privatizing it.
Karnaz assured that the Ministry of Transportation has taken several practical steps to contain violations and ensure that all vehicles on the roads legal, licensed and insured. He said that the ministry has coordinated with the Minister of Internal Security, Muhammad Dahlan, to dispatch patrols to the streets in coordination with security outfits in all districts to seize illegal vehicles and handle them according to regulations.
Karnaz explained that there are three kinds of vehicles: unidentified vehicles, which include stolen cars and cars sold by Israeli thieves to Palestinians. In the case of the latter, the buyer pays part of the price of the car, leaving the rest of the payment until the Israeli seller brings the documents. In most cases, the seller fails to show up, and the car remains without documentation. The second type concerns cars deleted from the mainframe at the ministry because their validity has expired. Such cars are usually sold at extremely low prices. The third type involves cars belonging to returnees, which are exempted from customs. The returnee that owns the car can relinquish ownership at the Licensing Department after paying customs fees.
Karnaz announced that customs tariff has been reduced officially to lessen the economic burden borne by the people. As for stolen cars, he said there is no problem in returning them to Israel if the Israeli side wants that. An agreement has been reached with insurance companies to deliver the papers of stolen vehicles to the PNA, which would pay limited compensation to the owners of the cars.
Karnaz called on Israel to take legal action against Israeli car thieves and called for cooperation between the Palestinian National Authority and Israel, indicating that the Palestinian police force is willing to find those involved and hand them over to concerned authorities.
Karnaz considered that Palestinian citizens are the primary victims in car theft and selling of stolen cars, because the existence of such vehicles deprives the state of customs and licensing revenue. Also, stolen cars are involved in many accidents, and in the end the PNA is forced to cover the damage. He assured that the law applies to everybody, indicating that the ministry has begun a campaign with security outfits and other ministries to collect stolen cars. A number of cars have been collected in a special depot at the police headquarters, where they await legal action in cooperation with the State Attorney and the Ministry of Justice.
As for procedures concerning public transit vehicles, Karnaz said that the licensing fee has been reduced from 500 shekels to 250. He added that the price of diesel has been lowered to 1.7 shekels per gallon, a reduction of 45 percent, in addition to lowering insurance rates by up to 45 percent. Karnaz explain that reopening the Salahiddin Street and reduction employed by the PNA led to the lowering of diesel prices.
Karnaz announced that renovation has begun on the buildings of licensing departments in various districts, which were destroyed or damaged in Israeli raids.
Saadi Al-Karnaz, Minister of Transportation, announced that the ministry will begin privatizing the Palestinian Airlines once the Gaza International Airport is reactivated. He stressed the need for investment in the airline to enable it to contribute to the building process and achieving economic stability.
Karnaz explained that the Engineering and Maintenance Department at the airport is ready to renovate the facility and is awaiting the necessary guarantees from the Quartet to begin work. He expressed hope that the upcoming meeting of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas could result in an agreement to begin work on the Gaza Airport, provided that the aforementioned guarantees and the necessary funding, estimated at $22 million, are available.
The minister announced that merging the Aviation Authority with the Ministry of Transportation was the decision of the Cabinet, based on the Basic Law and recommendations from the Palestinian Legislative Council, which requested that institutions and authorities be merged with concerned ministries, cancelled, or remain independent provided they are governed by specific laws. He indicated that 78 authorities were functioning independently, without monitoring.
Karnaz indicated that three of those independent authorities remain until now and will be merged with the Ministry of Transportation: the Aviation Authority, the Ports and Seaports Authority, and the Palestinian Airlines. A board of directors has been created for the latter, presided over by the minister. He announced that a decision has been made lately to annex the Ports Authority to the ministry in anticipation of privatizing it.
Karnaz assured that the Ministry of Transportation has taken several practical steps to contain violations and ensure that all vehicles on the roads legal, licensed and insured. He said that the ministry has coordinated with the Minister of Internal Security, Muhammad Dahlan, to dispatch patrols to the streets in coordination with security outfits in all districts to seize illegal vehicles and handle them according to regulations.
Karnaz explained that there are three kinds of vehicles: unidentified vehicles, which include stolen cars and cars sold by Israeli thieves to Palestinians. In the case of the latter, the buyer pays part of the price of the car, leaving the rest of the payment until the Israeli seller brings the documents. In most cases, the seller fails to show up, and the car remains without documentation. The second type concerns cars deleted from the mainframe at the ministry because their validity has expired. Such cars are usually sold at extremely low prices. The third type involves cars belonging to returnees, which are exempted from customs. The returnee that owns the car can relinquish ownership at the Licensing Department after paying customs fees.
Karnaz announced that customs tariff has been reduced officially to lessen the economic burden borne by the people. As for stolen cars, he said there is no problem in returning them to Israel if the Israeli side wants that. An agreement has been reached with insurance companies to deliver the papers of stolen vehicles to the PNA, which would pay limited compensation to the owners of the cars.
Karnaz called on Israel to take legal action against Israeli car thieves and called for cooperation between the Palestinian National Authority and Israel, indicating that the Palestinian police force is willing to find those involved and hand them over to concerned authorities.
Karnaz considered that Palestinian citizens are the primary victims in car theft and selling of stolen cars, because the existence of such vehicles deprives the state of customs and licensing revenue. Also, stolen cars are involved in many accidents, and in the end the PNA is forced to cover the damage. He assured that the law applies to everybody, indicating that the ministry has begun a campaign with security outfits and other ministries to collect stolen cars. A number of cars have been collected in a special depot at the police headquarters, where they await legal action in cooperation with the State Attorney and the Ministry of Justice.
As for procedures concerning public transit vehicles, Karnaz said that the licensing fee has been reduced from 500 shekels to 250. He added that the price of diesel has been lowered to 1.7 shekels per gallon, a reduction of 45 percent, in addition to lowering insurance rates by up to 45 percent. Karnaz explain that reopening the Salahiddin Street and reduction employed by the PNA led to the lowering of diesel prices.
Karnaz announced that renovation has begun on the buildings of licensing departments in various districts, which were destroyed or damaged in Israeli raids.
By: Muna Zaqqout
© Jerusalem Times 2003
