BRUSSELS, Dec. 10 (Xinhuanet) -- The European Union (EU) election observation mission for Palestinian presidential elections has gone into operation, the European Commission (EC) said Friday.

    The EU is deploying more than 260 observers in total, including a 13-member core team, who had arrived in the West Bank and Gaza, said the EC in a press release.

    The EU's executive arm said some 40 long-term observers would arrive around Dec. 15, and more than 130 short-term observers would arrive in the eve of the elections scheduled for Jan. 9.

    The mission also includes a delegation of 30 European Parliament (EP) members and observers from the governments of Switzerland, Norway and Canada.

    The mission is headed by Michel Rocard, an EP member, said the EC.

    "Our Election Observation Mission is an important contribution to ensuring that the forthcoming Palestinian presidential elections are assessed against international standards," said Benita Ferrero-Waldner, EC commissioner for external relations.

    The EC has been in the lead in the international community in providing support to the Palestinian electoral process since 2003.

    According to the EC, some 14 million euros (about 18.6 million US dollars) have been allocated since 2003 to prepare the elections, and 2.5 million euros (about 3.33 million dollars) has been designated for the observation mission.

    The Palestinian Central Elections Commission had invited international organizations to monitor all phases of the election process. Enditem