M'SIA WILL CONTINUE TO RAISE ISSUES OF PALESTINIANS IN GAZA

KUALA LUMPUR, April 13 (Bernama) -- Malaysia will continue to raise the
issue of Palestinians suffering in Gaza if there is a need to do so during
meetings with Egyptian leaders, the House of Representatives was told Monday.

Deputy Foreign Minister Senator A. Kohilan Pillay said Malaysia had always
been concerned about the sufferings of the Palestinians and would strive to get
approval for the Egypt-Gaza border to be opened to enable aid and assistance to
be channeled across the border.

"Malaysia has always expressed worries at Egypt's blockade of Gaza as it
made the efforts to channel humanitarian aid to the Palestinians in Gaza to be
extremely difficult.

"In this matter, the Egyptian government has informed the authorities in the
country to be sensitive to the Palestinians' needs to get the humanitarian aid.

"The Egyptian government has also stressed that they had always taken into
consideration the humanitarian aid channeled to Gaza," he said when winding
up debate on the Supplementary Supply Bill (2009) 2010 at the committee stage
for the ministry here.


On the construction of an underground barrier to close the route used
by the people of Gaza to get their food supplies, Kohilan said Malaysia would
play its role through the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to ensure
that the barrier would be torn down.

Meanwhile, he said the Malaysian government had allocated US$1 million for
humanitarian aid to Palestine, while RM23 million (US$7.17 million) was donated
by members of the public via the Palestine Humanitarian Fund.

-- BERNAMA