The Department of Palestinian Affairs (DPA), on Sunday, held a coordination meeting for Arab countries hosting Palestinian refugees, including Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine, in addition to Jordan and a delegation from the Arab League in Amman.
The gathering comes prior to the DPA's participation in the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Advisory Committee's meeting, which convenes at the Dead Sea on Monday under the chairmanship of Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Affairs Nasser Judeh.
DPA Director General Mahmoud Aqrabawi said the meeting seeks to unify positions on many topics that will be discussed at the UN gathering, to ensure the improvement of refugees' conditions where the Agency functions, alleviate the burden on hosting countries and support international relief agencies to guarantee the continuation of its work.
The Arab League Assistant Secretary General for Palestine and Occupied Arab Territories Affairs, Ambassador Mohammad Subeih, praised Jordan's role in preserving the holy sites from the occupation, and His Majesty King Abdullah II's efforts to defuse tension in Jerusalem and lift the siege on the Al Aqsa mosque.
Subeih described the meeting as of great importance in light of ongoing plans to end the Palestinian refugee issue.
Further, Ambassador Subeih called for Arab states to take serious steps toward those attempts, describing the Palestinian refugee issue as an Arab and national security issue that should not be manipulated.
The meeting also tackled the situation of the five international relief agency operation areas and their impact on hosting countries, and the medium-term plan, which the agency is working on for 2016-2020, and aims to improve the conditions of Palestinian refugees and the services provided to them.
It also underlined the financial situation of the Agency for 2014, as well as discussed ways to cover shortfalls in its budget and the agency's efforts to mobilize resources and funding requirements.