SPANISH FM: WE ARE WORKING ON LIFTING THE SIEGE ON GAZA
Gaza, 23 Rabi’ul Awwal 1436/14 January 2015 (MINA) – Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo affirmed his country’s commitment to supporting reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, lifting the siege and accelerating the rebuilding process.
The Spanish top diplomat told a press conference held on Tuesday in Gaza City, “We are working on lifting the siege on the Strip to enable its people to live in dignity.
“We are also committed to supporting the reconstruction process”, he said, The Palestinian Information Center (PIC) quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.
Garcia-Margallo expressed regret regarding the humanitarian and economic conditions in Gaza Strip, calling on the international community to act immediately to achieve peace and stability in the region.
During his brief stay, he visited one UNRWA-run school that is sheltering families displaced by Israel’s devastating offensive on Gaza last summer.
United Nations for Relief and Work Agency (UNRWA) Commissioner General Pierre Krahenbuhl, for his part, said many Gazans felt disappointed and frustrated by the slow pace of reconstruction.
“There are 15,000 Palestinians who are still sheltered in UNRWA schools waiting for their homes to be rebuilt. This has led to big disappointment”, he said.
He championed a speedy end to the siege on the Strip, noting that Israeli officials should be held accountable for the violations against Palestinians during Israel’s seven-week military onslaught.
The UNRWA Commissioner General pointed out that the reconstruction of Gaza should not continue in the same slow pace, stressing the need that the year of 2015 should be a year of change.
Last July, Israel waged a seven week war on Gaza Strip where more than 2,000 were killed and 11,000 others injured. The Palestinian Ministry of Public Works and Housing announced that the total housing units affected by the Israeli war were estimated at 28,366.. (T/P011/P3)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
