(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) WASHINGTON, Aug 28 (KUNA) -- The US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley on Tuesday demanded changes at the UN agency assisting Palestinian refugees and directly challenging its global count of Palestinian refugees.
In remarks at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think-tank, Haley agreed with a suggestion that the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA), which helps Palestinian refugees, overcounts the number of displaced Palestinians worldwide.
"We will be a donor if it (UNRWA) reforms what it does -- if they actually change the number of refugees to an accurate account, we will look back at partnering them," Haley said.
UNWRA says it provides services to about 5 million Palestinian refugees, most of whom descendants from those forced to flee in the 1948 war.
In the latest in a series of steps by the Trump administration challenging how relief aid is delivered to the Palestinians, Haley questioned "the right of return," claimed by Palestinians as part of any peace agreement.
Asked whether the right of return should be "off the table," Haley replied, "I do agree with that, and I think we have to look at this in terms of what's happening (with refugees) in Syria, what's happening in Venezuela." The United States earlier this year cut its aid to UNWRA to USD 60 million from a promised USD 350 million for the year.
Last week, the US announced it has cut nearly all the money it had planned to spend on aid projects for the Palestinians this year -including money to address a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
US senior officials say they want to continue efforts to resume negotiations on an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement. (end) hy.gb
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