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Photo: Ronen Boidek
Miki Goldwasser. Mother of kidnapped soldier Ehud Goldwasser
Photo: Ronen Boidek

Kidnapped troop's mom outraged at Red Cross

Families of kidnapped soldiers holding round of meetings with European Union, Red Cross officials. Buses from around Europe to transport people to mass rally to be held Wednesday in Brussels in show of support for abducted troops. Miki Goldwasser: Why haven't our letters been passed on to our sons? Red Cross rep: We can't ensure they'll get to your sons

Buses will leave cities in Holland, Germany, France, and Belgium on their way to the European Parliament in Brussels where a rally will be held calling the parliament to place all the weight of the kidnapped soldiers on the shoulders of Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.

 

The rally will be led by family members of the kidnapped soldiers. Thousands of Jews from throughout Europe as well as parliament members are expected to participate.

 

The Regev, Goldwasser, and Shalit families left Israel Tuesday morning for Brussels. Immediately upon arrival, they started a round of meetings with Belgian parliamentary officials and with international organizations.

 

One of the first meetings that was held was with President of the Belgian House of Representatives Herman De Croo, who is a personal friend of Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

 

De Croo ensured the families t hat he would personally ask Beri for information on the fate of their sons. In addition, he mentioned that it is clear to the Parliament that UN Resolution 1701 will not be applied to its fullest until the kidnapped soldiers are released, and that this severe humanitarian problem must be solved quickly.

 

After this, the family members met with the head of the Red Cross delegation to the European Union Silvi Juno. She informed the families that there is no new information about the fate of their loved ones.

 

Problem getting letters to kidnapped soldiers 

Miki Goldwasser, Ehud's mother, was outraged at these statements and said that it is unthinkable that the organization could not successfully pass on to Hizbullah the parents' letters to their kidnapped sons.

 

"Hizbullah is an organization that sits in the Lebanese parliament, and there shouldn't be any problem to pass on the letters," said Goldwasser.

 

Juno responded that the problem isn't handing over the letters, but is ensuring they will reach their intended audiences. She added that every single Red Cross representative in the Middle East sees dealing with the kidnapped soldiers as a top priority. She also said that contacts are being made through secret channels.

 

A third meeting took place between the families and the Belgian parliamentary minister responsible for aid to Lebanon and the Palestinian Authority. The family members demanded that the minister condition the continuation of aid on receiving information about their sons.

 

Wednesday the family members are slated to continue their round of meetings, after which they will hold an international press conference at the European Parliament.

 

The highlight of the trip to Belgium will be the mass rally that will be held across from the Parliament as the day's session opens. The rally's organizers expressed hope that, despite the cold and rainy weather, between 2,000 and 3,000 people will attend the rally.

 

The families of the kidnapped soldiers will return to Israel at the end of the week. Next week, they are scheduled to go to Geneva for a meeting with the secretary general of the Red Cross.

 


פרסום ראשון: 11.28.06, 22:19
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