Lantos calls for probe of UNRWA

By Shlomo Shamir
May 4, 2006
Haaretz
Original Source: http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=166645&contrassID=2&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listsrc=Y

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NEW YORK - The ranking Democrat on the House International Relations Committee, Tom Lantos, has asked UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to conduct a formal probe into the operations of the UN Relief and Works Agency in the territories prior to the June 30 scheduled renewal of its mandate.

My concern is that, for too long, UNRWA has been part of the problem, rather than the solution, in the Middle East, Lantos wrote in a May 13 letter to Annan. However initially well-intentioned, UNRWA camps have fostered a culture of anger and dependency that undermines both regional peace and the wellbeing of the camps' inhabitants. 

The California congressman expressed his concern that UNRWA officials have not only failed to prevent their camps from becoming centers of terrorist activity, but have also failed to report these developments to you. 

Lantos concluded that it is difficult to escape the painful conclusion that UNRWA, directly or indirectly, is complicit in terrorism.