United Nations Radio

At a meeting aimed at finding a just and fair solution to the plight of Palestinian refugees, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the Palestinian people's desire or right to live a normal daily life in their own sovereign land remains undiminished.

His message to the meeting in Paris, read by UN Assistant Secretary-General Angela Kane, called the negotiations currently under way between Israelis and Palestinians the only way to settle the conflict. He said he was particularly concerned about the situation on the ground in Gaza where the UN is providing assistance to some 75% of the population there.

"The United Nations now provides assistance to approximately 75 per cent of the population of the Gaza Strip. I therefore welcome efforts to end violence and re-open the Gaza crossings, which would allow all legitimate and necessary humanitarian and commercial supplies to reach the population. This will require an end to rocket fire and other attacks against Israeli targets and an end to Israeli incursions and military actions in Gaza, so that a re-opening of the Gaza crossings can be sustained and allow for genuine economic recovery."

In his message to the two-day conference, Mr. Ban noted that 2008 marked the 60th year of the Palestinian dispossession.

Diane Bailey, United Nations Radio.

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