RI'S RED CROSS CHIEF INVITED TO PALESTINE

Jakarta, April 1 (ANTARA) - President of the Palestinian Red Crescent Younis Al-Khatib has invited Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) Chief Jusuf M Kalla to visit Palestine.

The invitation was extended when Younis Al-Khatib visited the PMI Headquarters here on Thursday.

The Palestinian Red Crescent wanted to strengthen cooperation with red cross and red crescent organizations throughout the world, including with PMI, Al-Khatib said.

"During the war, we have difficulty in sending medical supplies, and the only way, sometimes, is by establishing cooperation with existing red cross organizations in the world," he said.

Kalla said PMI was ready to help the Palestinian people and he planned to meet the invitation from the Palestinian Red Crescent in the near future.

"The scheduled is being worked on. We will help, and we'll see what we can do," he said.

On the occasion, the PMI chief presented humanitarian aid worth US$100,000 for the Palestinian people.

Al-Khatib expressed his gratitude to PMI for the funds.

During his stay in Indonesia, he is scheduled to visit PMI Hospital in Bogor (West Java), PMI sanitation project in Bandung (West Java), and PMI medical team services in Karawang (West Java).

Last February 2009, PMI and the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) dispatched 2,000 blankets and US$120,000 in funds donated by the Indonesian people, for victims of Israeli military attacks in Gaza, Palestine.