U.N. refugee chief seeks Gaza presence

[tocqueville]

By SARAH DiLORENZO, Associated Press Writer
5 minutes ago


UNITED NATIONS - The chief of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees called on the international community Thursday to provide Gaza with a peacekeeping force or mission of observers, saying Gaza's 1.4 million people deserve protection.

Karen AbuZayd, the commissioner general for U.N. Relief and Works Agency, said a permanent solution must be found for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, perhaps by setting up a U.N. mission there.

"It would be great to have an international presence, civilian, military, whatever," she said.

Conditions in Gaza have reached a breaking point, AbuZayd said, as a result of the recent Israeli military offensive and blockade there since the capture of an Israeli soldier on June 25. Jan Egeland, U.N. humanitarian chief, has called the situation there, where border crossings remain closed at least 50 percent of the time, "a ticking time-bomb."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060908/ap_on_re_mi_ea/un_palestinians