Venezuela will take on Gaza orphans, president declares
Venezuela will take on Gaza orphans, president declares
14 August 2014 22:19 (Last updated 14 August 2014 22:22)
Following a meeting with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki, President Nicolas Maduro announced plans to give orphaned Palestinian children a home in Venezuela.
By Ben Tavener
SAO PAULO
Venezuela has announced that it will take in Palestinian children orphaned by Israels military offensive in Gaza.
The announcement came as President Nicolas Maduro met with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki on Thursday.
The exact number of children has not been revealed but local media has spoken of "several hundreds" of young Palestinians arriving in Venezuela.
On Wednesday, al-Maliki visited Aragua state, set to be home to the country's first shelter for orphaned Palestinians, where he met Governor Tareck El Aissami, who is of Syrian-Lebanese descent.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Elias Jaua met representatives of the United Nations refugee children's agencies in the Egyptian capital of Cairo earlier this month. He said Venezuela had "formally notified" the Palestinian authorities that the country had "everything ready to welcome these children."
There are conflicting reports as to whether the children would be allowed to stay in Venezuela and be put up for adoption by locals or whether Venezuela would provide them with shelter until they can return safely to Gaza.
More:
http://www.aa.com.tr/en/rss/373697--venezuela-will-take-on-gaza-orphans