Friday, October 26, 2007

Director general of SDC expresses willingness to meet Haneyya

GAZA, (PIC)-- Walter Fust, the director-general of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), confirmed his willingness to meet with Ismail Haneyya, the premier of the PA caretaker government, expressing concern at the difficult humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip During a meeting with a number of Palestinian journalists in Gaza on Tuesday evening, Fust underlined that his government has no objection to cooperate with the caretaker government in Gaza to deliver human aid to the Palestinian people, pointing out that his country have contacts with all the Palestinian parties and have never once happened to reduce the volume of assistance to the Palestinian people.
The director-general of SDC added that the Swiss government's position has never changed, highlighting that it recognized the results of the legislative elections in 2006 and the 10th government formed by Haneyya following the announcement of the election results as well as the Makkah agreement and the government of national unity.
The Swiss official expressed sorrow when he did not find the previous vitality and vigor he had found in the faces of Palestinians ten years ago when he visited Gaza, pointing out that he recently noticed that there was malnutrition in the Gaza children's faces during his visits to primary schools and health centers affiliated with UNRWA.
The Swiss official also pointed out that he also saw during his visit to the Shati refugee camp to the west of Gaza Strip that a third of about one million and a half Palestinians, living in an area of about 362 square kilometers, is below the poverty line and without jobs.
The Swiss official promised to persuade Swiss MPs and officials to increase the share of the Gaza Strip from the Swiss support for the Palestinian people which amount to about $ 24 million during the current year.
In reply to a question about the thing which most affected him in Gaza, he said: "The future of Gaza children," adding that he would convey a message to the Swiss Parliament to increase the funding allocated for children education and health programs in the Strip, adding that his government will never stop its political pressures to guarantee the freedom of movement and commercial transactions in and out of the Gaza Strip.

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