Saeb Erekat, secretary general of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), demanded on Wednesday from the Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis to explain statements he made on the UN refugee agency, UNRWA, and to apologize for making such statements. According to WAFA, Cassis has attacked UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, saying its existence and work aggravate the Middle East conflict and that the right of return of the Palestinian refugees to their homes in Palestine they were forced to leave in 1948 is "an unrealistic dream." Erekat said in an official complaint to the Swiss Foreign Minister that these statements show that Switzerland is siding with the United States and Israel in their efforts to eliminate the refugee issue and for taking an impartial position, demanding from the Swiss minister an official apology to the Palestinian people. He said the Palestinian people and leadership were enraged by such statements, which he considered an insult to the Palestinian people by a country that claims to be committed to international law, justice and neutrality and a base for many international organizations.
