Dr. Mneymneh and the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Switzerland emphasize the support of UNRWA.

The Chairman of the Lebanese Palestinian Dialogue Committee (LPDC) Dr. Hasan Mneymneh met at Grand Serail with the State Secretary of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Mrs. Pascale Baeriswyl in presence of Ambassador of Switzerland in Lebanon Ms. Monika Schmutz Kirgoz, a Swiss delegation from the embassy and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.

 

Mrs. Baeriswyl and Dr. Mneymneh discussed political issues focusing on the Palestinian refugees’ challenges in Lebanon and the assistance Switzerland is providing in that respect. Both sides highlighted the challenges regarding the Palestinian refugees’ issue and the Swiss minister welcomed LPDC’s efforts to follow up on this.  Coming from her visit to Ramallah and her meetings with the Palestinian officials, she felt the seriousness of the current situation and the magnitude of the challenges that the region is undergoing in a volatile international context. 

 

The Swiss minister reiterated her country’s commitment to the two-state solution and its commitment to achieving a just peace in the region as well as the humanitarian support of the Palestinian refugees and the support of the UNRWA agency not only in Lebanon but in the region as a whole. She also renewed Switzerland’s support for Lebanon and the efforts of the Lebanese government to coop with Palestinian refugees and displaced Syrians.

 

For his part, Dr. Mneymneh focused on Switzerland’s keen interest in the Palestinian issue and its fruitful cooperation with the Committee through its embassy in Lebanon in support of the Palestinian refugees who are currently facing a severe crisis due to the US administration’s “Deal of the Century” and hence UNRWA’s financial cuts.

Mneymneh said that US policy has brought the Palestinians plights into a dead end. “US Administration’s plan has already been implemented with the transfer of its embassy to Jerusalem with the cutting off UNRWA funding”, he said.

 

“This project will destabilize the region further warning of more bloodshed”, Dr. Mneymneh said, stressing that the Palestinian people who resist daily and provide dozens of martyrs will never allow this plan to pass.

 

He called on international community  and friends of Palestinian people to continuously push for a just peace in the region and to increase their support for UNRWA because “any disruption to the agency’s services to Palestinian refugees will foster more crises in host countries, including Lebanon”, he cautioned.