Rights of Palestinian refugees non-negotiable, Sabbagh says

General

Syria’s permanent representative to the UN, Bassam Sabbagh, has affirmed that preserving the Palestinian refugees’ rights is non-negotiable issue.

Sabbagh stressed Syria’s firm stance in support of the Palestinian people’s struggle to restore their occupied territories and all legitimate rights in accordance with international law and UN resolutions.

“The Palestinian Cause remains Syria’s main national issue, as it has not and will not spare any effort to stand by the brotherly Palestinian people to restore their occupied lands and all legitimate rights, to grant it membership in the UN in accordance with international law and all relevant UN resolutions, foremost of which is Resolution No. 194 of 1948,” Sabbagh said in a statement at the UNRWA donations’ conference.

He added that over the past decades, Syria has provided the Palestinian people all the requirements of life, and has not differentiated between them and the Syrian citizens, even during the difficult economic conditions that faced Syria.

Sabbagh noted that preserving the mandate granted to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) by the UN General Assembly is a general responsibility.

The Syrian diplomat went on saying that the conference comes in terms of increasing member states’ support for UNRWA to find ways to overcome the agency’s financial crisis.

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency