Delegates meet with DFID British Secretary

Delegates meet with DFID British Secretary

In following up on the progress made from the delegation to Lebanon, delegates met the Secretary of State for International Development, Hon Andrew Mitchell MP.

The delegation to Lebanon during February 2011 organized by the Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) and council of Palestinian European Relation (CPER) addressed the desperate situation of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, in particular Nahar Al Bared refugee camp.

The meeting discussed ways to help the most desperate amongst the 400,000 Palestinians residing in Lebanon. Palestinians in Lebanon have no rights to work and lack basic standards of living.

Delegates also discussed the issue of Nahr al Barid refugee camp which was destroyed over 2 years ago as a result of violent military confrontations. They emphasized the urgency of rebuilding the camp to accommodate the thousands left homeless. Additionally, they stressed that Gaza siege should be lifted.

Both, delegates and the secretary, exchanged views on the Right of Return for Palestinian refugees, where PRC delegates reiterated the fact that Palestinian Refugees are resolute in their commitment to exercise their legal and moral right.

Additionally, the important role of UNRWA was discussed. Having seen the work and achievement of UNRWA over the decades, PRC cannot emphasize enough the significance of supporting the UNRWA which is very essential for the survival of Palestinian refugees.

As a side note, the ramification of the democratic wave sweeping across the Arab world was discussed.

The Palestinian Return Centre (PRC), in partnership with the Council for European Palestinian Relations (CEPR) led a delegation comprising of British MPs and EU MEPs to the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. The delegation visited refugee camps and met senior officials.

It was led by Sir Gerald Kaufman MP, the delegation included, Michael Connarty MP, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Frank Engel MEP, Robert Goebbels MEP, Nicolette Petersen (office of Jeremy Corbyn MP), Alexandra Thein MEP and Derek Vaughan MEP. General Director of PRC, Majed Al Zeer and chair of CEPR, Dr Arafat Shoukri, Tom Charles.

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