FM Maliki Calls on Arabs to Stand by the Palestinians in Facing US Measures

Maliki told the official Voice of Palestine radio that he briefed the Arab foreign ministers during their meeting at the headquarters of the Arab League in Cairo on Tuesday on the Palestinian situation and the hostile American position toward the Palestinians.

He said he told his Arab counterparts that Palestine would fight politically and legally the American measures urging the Arab countries to take a supportive stand of their fight, Wafa News Agency reported.

He said that the meeting stressed as well Arab support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which is under attack by the US after stopping millions of dollars in annual aid, saying that the special meeting on supporting UNRWA financially and politically is scheduled to be held on the sidelines of the next meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Maliki said that Palestine is conducting intensive contacts to prepare for a vote at the General Assembly on the mandate of UNRWA, pointing out that they want the largest number of countries to vote for the continuation of the Agency’s work.

The foreign minister said the idea of resettling the Palestinian refugees in their host countries as apparently will be proposed by the United States in a step seen to end the refugee issue would not succeed because the US cannot take such an action on its own and the main host countries – Jordan, Syria and Lebanon – are against it.

Regarding the US decision to close the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) office in Washington, Malki said a meeting was held at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah on Tuesday to discuss procedures to provide counselor assistance for the Palestinian community in the United States and the results of this meeting will be materialized in the coming hours.

He said Palestine will file a complaint against Washington in international forums because of the damage caused to the interests of the Palestinian community in the United States with the closure of their representative office.

On the Israeli decision to demolish the village of Khan al-Ahmar, east of Jerusalem, Malki said that the International Criminal Court (ICC) was informed on Tuesday of the need to speed up steps to pressure Israel to stop the demolition decision, pointing to the presence of the Palestine delegation in The Hague to urge the court to take steps to pressure Israel against the demolition.(R/R04/P2)