Arab-African ministerial conference condemns Israeli ruthless repression against Palestinian children
Regional-Palestine, Politics, 5/24/2001

The conference of Arab and African finance ministers, convened in Marrakesh May 21-23, vehemently denounced the ruthless and inhumane repression perpetrated by Israel against Palestinian children.

The conference-- held in preparation for the World Child Summit, due next September 19-21 at the United Nations headquarters in New York-also denounced the use by Israel of weapons, in violation of international conventions.

In a report adopted at the conference closing session, that was chaired by Princess Lalla Meryem, Chairwoman of the National Observatory for Children's Rights, participants called the international community to condemn these acts and to protect the civilians of the occupied Palestinian territories.

The war waged by Israel against the Palestinian civilian populations and the crimes perpetrated against children clearly evidence Israel's denial to these children of their right to life, challenge world consciousness and constitute a blatant violation of the provisions of international conventions related to children's rights, said the report.

In her closing address, Princess Lalla Meryem voiced the indignation of Morocco and of all participants in the conference over the painful situation of Palestinian children, who are prey to the systematic aggression of the Israeli war machine.

The ambassador of Palestine to Morocco Abu Marwane who attended the conference had said that the Israeli army has killed more than 100 Palestinian children below 15 since the Al-Aqsa intifada flared up in the occupied territories eight months ago. He said the international community cannot keep silent on what is going on in the Palestinian territories where children have become the privileged target of the daily and barbarous aggressions launched by Israeli F 16 fighters, calling for urgent action to protect the Palestinian people against Israeli aggressions and violation of human values and international conventions.

The Marrakesh conference also called for the lifting of the embargo imposed on the Iraqi people and whose impact is seriously affecting children. Thousands of Iraqi children suffer from malnutrition and various diseases and thousands have died, the report deplored.(MAP)SL/

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