Posted on 12/06/2005 6:26:34 PM PST by Alouette
Syria demands humanitarian access to Golan
Damscus says it will oppose emergency service emblem agreement unless it can send 'humanitarian workers' to Golan
The approval of a new emblem allowing Israelis to join the Red Cross movement was held up Tuesday by Syria's demand that Israel allow its humanitarian workers into the Golan Heights.
The move could delay until at least Wednesday a decision by the 192 signatories of the Geneva Conventions on a "Red crystal" Emblem that Israeli paramedics could use in place of the red cross or Muslim red crescent.
Israel's Magen David Adom - or Red Shield of David - and the Palestine Red Crescent struck a mutual recognition deal last week allowing each other's paramedics to operate unmolested. Now Syria wants a similar arrangement allowing the Syrian Red Crescent to help an estimated 30,000 former Syrians living in the Israeli Golan Heights.
"We want to get a similar Israeli commitment to us similar to what they did with the Palestinians," Syrian Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari said during a break in a conference aimed at bringing Israel into the Red Cross after nearly six decades of exclusion.
Islamic support
Syria claimed it had the support of the 56-member Organization of the Islamic Conference. And a Slovenian representative said Tuesday that Iran had told the conference that it would vote against adopting an additional emblem for the sake of Israel.
Holdouts could spoil hopes for unanimous acceptance of the new emblem. A two-thirds majority vote was theoretically possible but delegates said it was undesirable.
"On a humanitarian issue, there should be consensus," said Mohammad Abu-Koash, Palestinian ambassador to international organizations in Geneva. "Once people start voting on this, it would make for ugly scenes."
Israel's society requested the recognition of its red Star of David, but was voted down in 1949 and Arab countries have since blocked attempts to find an alternative emblem.
Warning! This is a high-volume ping list.
Thye want to come in and make sure those bomb vests fit right and don't chafe.
Syria wants access to the Golan and that will never NEVER happen
Yeah really. Kind of like Iran having "scientific access" to enriched uranium.
"Israel's society requested the recognition of its red Star of David, but was voted down in 1949 and Arab countries have since blocked attempts to find an alternative emblem."
Interesting. (I never knew this bit of history) Why shouldn't Israel be able to have a Red Star of David? Who voted it down in 1949?
It looks as if under the new arrangement that Sharon has brought about, everyone will be allowed in and out of Gaza and across Israel, except Jews.
Why should Syria be given access to anything. There only purpose is to slaughter Jews and destory Israel.
Screw Syria!
I was thinking the same thing.
The Golan...not Gaza...
There is NO agreement on the Red Cross emblem for Jews. A "Red Diamond" in lieu of a Red Magon David is unacceptable. Yet here Israel inexplicably is going along with this disgracve, and Syria is demanding concessions on top of it! Unreal.
Has Syria ever done anything under the guise of "humanitarian"? Are you kidding me? These clowns are trying to puff up their chests as they keep slipping further and further into obscurity. B-ass-ar is taking his ball and going home! I concur with the earlier statement --"screw Syria".
Oops.
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