Vienna, 4 June 2008 - "One million Palestinians rely on humanitarian assistance just to survive. The newly refurbished hospital in Dera'a will secure basic medical care for many of them. Austria has made a concrete contribution to this", said Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik at the opening of the reconstructed health centre in Dera'a, Syria will provide medical care to 25,000 Palestinian refugees as of tomorrow. The Austrian Development Cooperation (OEZA) supported the UN Works and Relief Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Middle East (UNRWA) in the reconstruction of the clinic with a contribution of 240,000 Euros.
The clinic of the refugee camp in the Syrian town of Dera'a was built in 1984. Some 265 patients receive medical care there every day. The reconstruction was necessary because the number of refugees in the camp has risen significantly during the last decades. The desolate condition of the building and the lack of space made it impossible to provide adequate medical treatment, so that in 2007, UNRWA decided to demolish the building and erect a new one.
In this context, the Foreign Minister pointed out to the donor conference that will take place in Vienna on 23 June on the reconstruction of the Palestinian refugee camp Nahr el-Bared in Northern Lebanon, which was destroyed last year. The conference was convened by Foreign Minister Plassnik and Prime Minister Siniora, as well as by EU Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner and the Secretary General of the Arab League, Amre Moussa: "This initiative is the consistent continuation of Austria's committed Middle East policy. We wanted to give a new perspective for the future and contribute to a concrete improvement of the living conditions for the 30,000 people in Nahr el-Bared, yet also to those in the other 12 Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon", said Plassnik, also pointing out to the need to solve the refugee problem as part of a comprehensive peace for the Middle East: "We are continuing our efforts toward a comprehensive solution of the Middle East conflict. An acceptable and sustainable solution of the refugee problem must become a central part of a future peace treaty."
"The reconstruction of Nahr el-Bahred is an important cause for many people. Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, for example, has already signalled support from German, and so did my Kuwaiti colleague Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah. We are preparing this conference with determination and commitment", said Foreign Minister Plassnik.
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