WORLD / Top News

    Israel, Palestine join Red Cross
    (China Daily)
    Updated: 2006-06-23 06:50

    The Red Cross humanitarian movement extended membership yesterday to Israeli and Palestinian relief agencies, overcoming political divisions to end a nearly 60-year struggle for accession.

    Unable to reach consensus, the Geneva Convention's 192 signatory states and 183 national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies decided in a rare vote to approve a new red crystal emblem for use where the cross and crescent are uncomfortably linked with Christianity and Islam.

    The diamond-shaped symbol, into which the Star of David may be placed, made it possible for Israel's Magen David Adom (MDA) to join the humanitarian network which makes up the world's largest relief agency after decades of isolation.

    Two politically charged days of talks spilled into the early hours of yesterday, when delegates agreed to admit both the MDA and the Palestine Red Crescent Society in what conference chairman Mohammed Al Hadid called "a historical moment."

    The move should help engender better co-operation between Israeli and Palestinian relief services, and ensure more universal access to those needing help from the international relief network, Al Hadid told reporters after the decision.

    Despite time-consuming legal and procedural complaints from representatives of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, and a proposed amendment from Pakistan and Tunisia seeking to add wording seen as unacceptable to Israel, the resolution passed with more than the required two-thirds majority support.

    Some 237 states and societies voted to change the agency's statutes and add the red crystal symbol, 54 voted against, and 18 abstained, officials said. The Israeli and Palestinian groups were then admitted to the network by acclamation.

    Al Hadid said that all national societies could use the red crystal logo in places where the neutral symbol could improve access to victims or reduce risks against aid workers.

    "The emblem will not only be used in Israel," he said.

    Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, who chairs the board of the American Red Cross, said her organization would repay about US$45 million in dues withheld from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies over concerns about MDA's exclusion.

    She said the American Red Cross would present US$24 million yesterday and pay the balance "within an agreed upon time frame," which has not yet been determined.

    (China Daily 06/23/2006 page7)

     
     

    亚洲av中文无码乱人伦在线咪咕| 免费看成人AA片无码视频吃奶| 中文字幕精品视频在线| 国产成A人亚洲精V品无码性色 | 精品无码人妻一区二区三区不卡 | 日韩中文字幕电影| 4hu亚洲人成人无码网www电影首页 | 无码乱码av天堂一区二区| 日韩精品无码久久一区二区三 | 韩国免费a级作爱片无码| 直接看的成人无码视频网站| 亚洲精品中文字幕乱码三区| 久久激情亚洲精品无码?V| 久久综合精品国产二区无码| 永久免费AV无码网站国产| а中文在线天堂| 亚洲精品无码永久中文字幕| 夜夜精品无码一区二区三区| 丰满白嫩人妻中出无码| 亚洲av无码av制服另类专区| 精品无码成人片一区二区98| 中文字幕无码av激情不卡久久| 国产一区二区中文字幕| 伊人久久大香线蕉无码麻豆| 老子影院午夜精品无码| 99国产精品无码| 精品成在人线AV无码免费看 | 无码人妻熟妇AV又粗又大| 中文字幕乱码免费看电影| 亚洲韩国—中文字幕| 日韩中文字幕在线播放| 久久人妻AV中文字幕| 亚洲乱码中文字幕综合| 无码精品日韩中文字幕| 亚洲人成无码网WWW| 中文字幕一区二区人妻| 日韩一本之道一区中文字幕| 亚洲av中文无码乱人伦在线r▽ | av无码免费一区二区三区| 人妻无码视频一区二区三区| 玖玖资源站无码专区|