Kuwait underlines support to rights of Palestinian people

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) BRUSSELS, April 30 (KUNA) -- The State of Kuwait Tuesday stressed its strong support to the Palestinian people in obtaining all their legitimate political rights, and access to their independent State with East Jerusalem as its capital.
"The challenges facing the Palestinian question represent a real dilemma and a retreat of efforts and constitute a damage to the peace process and a violation of the negotiation process," Kuwait's Ambassador to the European Union, Belgium and NATO, Jasem Al Budaiwi told the Annual spring meeting of the international donor group for Palestine (AHLC) in Brussels this afternoon.
He urged all parties concerned to work with the international community to end the Israeli occupation of all Palestinian and Arab territories occupied since June 4, 1967, which should be based on the resolutions of international legitimacy, the principle of land for peace, the road map and the Arab peace initiative adopted by all Arab countries at the Beirut Summit in 2002.
He hoped that today's meeting will contribute to the lifting and alleviation of the suffering of the Palestinian people.
Al Budaiwi noted that through the three conferences held in support of Palestine in Paris in 2007, in Sharm El Sheikh in 2009 and in Cairo in 2014, Kuwait contributed a total of USD 700 million.
Moreover, the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development oversees distribution of funds to support various projects in Palestine including development programs in Gaza and another in the southern strip of about USD 100 million of the Kuwait' contribution of USD 200 million in Cairo for the sectors of housing, water transport, health and education, among other sectors.
He said that nearly one and a half years since the start of Kuwait's non permanent membership in UNSC, the State of Kuwait has made a great effort to support the Palestinian brothers in obtaining all their legitimate political rights and access to their independent State with East Jerusalem as its capital.
"We have tried hard and continue to try through our membership towards the consolidation of the principles and purposes of the United Nations and the objectives of the Security Council in providing international protection to the defenseless Palestinian people through the draft resolution we submitted in June 2018 in the Council which, regrettably, was not adopted, but the international community adopted the same draft resolution at the 10th session Meeting of the General Assembly in the same month," he said.
Al Budaiwi said Kwuait shares the concern expressed by the United Nations over and over again about the severe fiscal deficit in UNRWA's budget.
"We stress the importance of continuing to provide the necessary and sustainable financial support to the Agency's programs and activities, since their funding is international and not limited to specific countries," he added.
Today's meeting was hosted by EU High Representative Federica Mogherini, and presided by the Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide in her capacity as the Chair of the AHLC. (end) nk.bs

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