News In Brief
United Nations, N.Y.
UN agency seeks increase in Palestinian refugee aid
The commissioner general of the UN agency that assists 2 million Palestinian refugees is in New York, seeking emergency funding in the wake of events in Lebanon. Olof Rydbeck, head of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), headquartered in Vienna, says his agency - with a 1984 budget of $233 million - must have an additional $40 to $50 million or face a discontinuance of assistance. The agency runs 100 clinics and sends 340,000 Palestinian children to the 650 schools it runs in the Middle East.
According to Mr. Rydbeck, immediate relief is needed for 35,000 Palestinian refugees in Tripoli alone, where recent Palestinian infighting has killed or wounded hundreds of people and left hundreds homeless.