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| UN relief agency demands Israel's apology over allegations against drivers |
| | www.chinaview.cn 2004-05-26 17:46:13 |
GAZA, May 26
(Xinhuanet) -- The commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works
Agency (UNRWA), Peter Hansen, demanded Wednesday an apology from Israel for
allegations against the agency's ambulance drivers in the Gaza
Strip.
"We demand an apology and retraction from the Israeli Government and
military for the damaging and baseless allegations they have made against
UNRWA's ambulance drivers in the Gaza Strip," Hansen said in a
statement.
On May 14, Israeli Minister of Defence Shaul
Mofaz alleged that a UN ambulance had transported body parts of Israeli
soldiers.
It was also reported that, in a letter faxed to
the UNRWA, Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories
Major General Yossef Mishlev claimed that a video tape showed Palestinians using
on 11 May ambulances belonging to UNRWA, apparently for the purpose of
transporting body parts.
Hansen said that despite UNRWA's
repeated requests, no evidence of UNRWA ambulance drivers transporting the body
parts of Israeli soldiers has been presented by the Israeli
government.
Accordingly, he has no reason to believe that
there is any truth at all to the "extremely unfortunate" accusations being made
against UNRWA, said Hansen's statement.
Mishlev's letter
also claimed that UNRWA had been concealing the video tape of an UNRWA ambulance
in Zaytoon in Gaza City from 11 May, an accusation dismissed by the agency's
commissioner-general.
"In fact UNRWA only received a copy of
the video tape footage on 24 May, after having receiving General Mishlev's
letter," said Hansen.
"Moreover, the video tape shows absolutely no evidence of the transportation of soldiers' body parts," he added. Enditem |
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