AMMAN, 12 October 2004 — Saudi Arabia yesterday donated additional $6 million to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees to be used in supporting the organization’s operations in the Palestinian territories, an announcement said. The donation came in a memorandum of understanding that was signed by UNRWA’s General Commissioner Peter Hansen and Vice Chairman and Managing Director of the Saudi Development Fund Yousuf Ibn Ibrahim Al-Bassam. The amount brings to $7.2 million Saudi Arabia’s total donation to UNRWA this year beyond its contribution to the organization’s regular budget, a statement said.
“Following the signing, Hansen expressed gratitude to Saudi Arabia for the generous donations it has been extending to UNRWA which serves four Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the Gaza strip and the West Bank,” it added.
King Abdallah yesterday urged Israel and the Palestinians to implement the Middle East peace road map, warning that violence threatens Palestinian statehood, the state-run Petra news agency reported. “Israel and the Palestinians must implement the road map,” an internationally-backed peace blueprint stipulating the establishment of a Palestinian state by the end of 2005.
