GAZA AID MISSION: "WE WILL NOT BE FOILED," SAYS PGPO ADVISOR

PUTRAJAYA, June 4 (Bernama) -- The humanitarian aid ship MV Rachel Corrie,
sponsored by the Perdana Global Peace Organisation (PGPO), will not be foiled by
any attempt to derail its mission to send aid to the people of Gaza by sea.

PGPO advisor Mukhriz Mahathir said these include the decision by Egypt
to open up the border crossing at Rafah to enable the aid to be transported by
land to the Gaza Strip.

"Gaza has suffered from the blockade for three years. If the Rafah crossing
were to be opened, it should have been a long time ago. I see this as a tactic
to discourage us from sending humanitarian aid straight to Gaza by sea," he told
reporters after opening the ESQ Training Grand Event 2010, here, Friday.

Mukhriz said the mission organisers would also not be deceived by the
statement by United States Vice-President Joe Biden for the aid to be handed
over to Israel to be sent to Gaza.

He said Israel's suspicion over the supplies carried by the ship was
unfounded as these had been checked and the ship confirmed to be not carrying
any arms before making its journey to Gaza.


"They (Israel and the U.S.) have been making ridiculous excuses as the
passengers onboard the humanitarian aid flotilla are peace activists and we (aid
mission organisers) have ensured that the ships did not carry any firearms.

"Israel should not give excuses but to allow our ships to reach their
destination without any interference," he said.

Biden, when interviewed during the Charlie Rose show of the US Public
Broadcasting Service (PBS) on Wednesday, defended Israel's attack on one of the
ships in the flotilla to prevent smuggling of weapons to Gaza and questioned the
mission organisers' insistence of sending the aid straight to Gaza.

On US' stand in defending Israel, Mukhriz said it was a mistake and that the
US should have instead taken the opportunity to correct the situation.

"We know that Israel has to date, violated 80 United Nations resolutions,
meaning it has no respect at all for international law.

"Such a belligerent country should be isolated; it cannot be supported so
that it will not act as it pleases," he said.


-- BERNAMA



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