Monday, March 26, 2012

Groups urge Arab summit to address the Palestinian refugees right of return

[AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine]

BEIRUT (Ma'an) -- Organizations supporting Palestinian refugees in Lebanon are calling on the Arab League to include refugee rights in the agenda of Thursday's Arab League summit.

The petition to Secretary-General of the Arab League Nabil al-Arabi and other heads of state warns "the area will not have peace and quiet unless the Palestinian refugees’ right of return is implemented."

It is signed by 111 non governmental organizations supporting Palestinians in Lebanon.

The Arab League meets for its annual summit in the Iraqi capital on March 29. The groups say they want leaders to discuss the issue of Palestinian refugees due to humanitarian risks to Palestinians and their host countries.

"This issue threatens seven million Palestinian refugees and their right to go back to their homes from which they were uprooted forcefully in 1948," says a copy of the communique seen by Ma'an.

"It also has risks for Arab countries hosting Palestinian refugee populations due to immigration and residency issues," it continues.

Palestinian refugees have long suffered discrimination in host countries.

The communication stresses that no Arab or Palestinian negotiator has the right to negotiate away refugees’ right of return.

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