Press Releases

The Ambassador and Head of EU Delegation in Lebanon, Ms. Angelina Eichhorst met a delegation from the Palestinian Association for Human Rights "Witness" in her office at the Embassy of the EU in Beirut. The delegation from "Witness", included the public relation and media coordinator relations Mohammed al-Shouli, and the responsible of developing resources Mustafa Younes, and the activist in the field of human rights Imad Taha. The First Secretary  in the EU Delegation in Lebanon, Mr. Diego Escalona Baturel has joined the meeting ,as well as ,Ms. Maria Sanchez Gil – Cepeda  the delegant  affairs of Democracy ,human rights, and justice.

The visiting delegation was presented of the EU Ambassador a comprehensive explanation about the  condition and the rights of the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, and their daily suffering as a result of poverty and unemployment in the camps in Lebanon, as well as the Lebanese government  is still ignore granting the refugees their civil, social, and economic rights, , and in light permanent lack in the budget of UNRWA and the reflection of this deficit on the services that provided to the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.

The delegation also discussed with the Ambassador the possibility of increasing the support of UNRWA budget in order to improve the services provided, whether in health, education, infrastructure and reconstruction, as well as the possibility of persuading the Lebanese government  to put the refugees problems on the ladder of its priorities, and to concern seriously in improving their livelihood opportunities to allow them live in dignity until they return to their home lands.

The Ambassador of the European Union emphasizes also that all members of EU stand by the Palestinian right to have an independent state, and the right of the refugees to return to their homeland Palestine. She also confirmed at the end of the meeting,  that she will exert great efforts to improve the conditions of Palestinian refugees by increasing the support of UNRWA in various fields, and also she has promised to increase scholarships to Palestinian students in Lebanon in the future times, and stressed that the EU seeks to speed the reconstruction process  of Nahr al-Bared, and the return of its inhabitants, and end their suffering, and she also promised to carry out field visits to Palestinian camps and see closely the reality of the refugees in Lebanon, in order them to transfer the picture to all stakeholders, whether Lebanese or Arab or international stuffs in the near future.

The visiting delegation was presented to the ambassador and her accompanied stuff copies of the annual report about the status and rights of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.

At the end of the meeting, the  Ambassador praised  greatly the efforts of "Witness" in the defense of the rights of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, and demanded them to exert more effort to shed light on their conditions, either through studies and reports or through the field visits of politicians, ministers, parliament members  or diplomats expeditions  in Lebanon.