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Last update - 16:02 28/11/2007
Vatican cardinal: Palestinians have right to return to homeland
By Reuters
Tags: Cardinal, Vatican 

A senior Vatican cardinal said on Wednesday that all Palestinian refugees had a right to return to their homeland.

Cardinal Renato Martino, head of the Vatican department that formulates refugee policy, made the comment as U.S. President George W. Bush was set to revive long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks at a White House summit.

"Palestinian refugees, like all other refugees, have a right to right to return to their homeland," Martino said in response to a question about the 44-nation conference in Annapolis on Tuesday.
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Martino did not make clear whether he meant refugees had a right to return to homes in what is now Israel or to an eventual Palestinian state.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas have
pledged to try to forge a peace treaty by the end of 2008 that would create a Palestinian state.

The issue of the return of Palestinian refugees, along with the status of Jerusalem, is one of the most sticky issues in a peace treaty.

There are some 4.5 million Palestinian refugees in camps in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Successive Israeli governments have made clear they will not accept the right of return of Palestinians who left homes in what is now Israel, saying it would threaten the country's existence.

Some ministers have said that some Palestinians might be allowed to settle in Israel on humanitarian grounds if a final peace settlement is reached.

The Vatican, which sent a delegation to Annapolis, supports a Palestinian homeland as well Israel's right to exist in security.

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  • Israel, PA agree to strive for deal by end of 2008
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      1.   Homeland 16:14  |  Sydney 28/11/07
      2.   Rather Obvious 16:17  |  Charlie 28/11/07
      3.   yeh and give Australia back to the Aborigines 16:27  |  SJ 28/11/07
      4.   Palestine is for Palestineans 16:28  |  Abeer 28/11/07
      5.   yes yes yes 16:34  |  baba lalou 28/11/07
      6.   vatican card. 16:34  |  J.Hardisty 28/11/07
      7.   homeland 16:35  |  colin 28/11/07
      8.   wow another anti-semite! 16:37  |  chapnine 28/11/07
      9.   Vatican views 16:37  |  Christ 28/11/07
      10.   They Have No "Right" To Return 16:41  |  MIKE 28/11/07
      11.   The Vatican`s Chutzpah 16:41  |  Fortuna Benmayor 28/11/07
      12.   Eh...snow balls are not passed through the generations 16:42  |  BH 28/11/07
      13.   the only way this is going to happen is if 16:43  |  joki 28/11/07
      14.   A safe homeland&compensation for all those abused little boys 16:44  |  Alan 28/11/07
      15.   He meant German refugees from E.Europe,now German-rein after WW2 16:44  |  Absolute Sweden 28/11/07
      16.   #1 Say Sydney 16:45  |  ballistic 28/11/07
      17.   Vatican cardinal and even the Pope 16:45  |  Daniel 28/11/07
      18.   Right... 16:57  |  B 28/11/07
      19.   Homeland where? 17:01  |  Jeff 28/11/07
      20.   Cardinal Needs More Education 17:02  |  AnakAdeen 28/11/07
      21.   They Think They Must Say Something 17:02  |  Yosemite 28/11/07
      22.   Vatican cardinal 17:03  |  Marlene 28/11/07
      23.   Jews also have rights 17:04  |  eliyahu 28/11/07
      24.   Oh, boy, wait until they get on this one! 17:06  |  Yaakov Sullivan 28/11/07
      25.   UNGA resolution 194 is as valid today as it was in 1948 17:07  |  Ben Alofs 28/11/07
      26.   Palestine is Israel 17:09  |  peaceship 28/11/07
      27.   Charlie`s bad Math 17:10  |  sptz 28/11/07
      28.   Who are Palestinians, according to PLO 17:12  |  Mark Bernadiner 28/11/07
      29.   pompous papistry 17:21  |  akiva (zionist) 28/11/07
      30.   Vatican Cardinal 17:29  |  Fredy Ross 28/11/07
      31.   Catholic church track record 17:32  |  joki 28/11/07
      32.   jews have nevr been able to depend on vatican for support why now 17:32  |  zionist forever 28/11/07
      33.   Saddening ... 17:37  |  Murray 28/11/07
      34.   4 17:44  |  zionist forever 28/11/07
      35.   The Vatican is the Last to Talk ! 17:46  |  Brant 28/11/07
      36.   #25the confused doctor and the real reason is called unwra 17:47  |  victor hardman 28/11/07
      37.   Who is responsible 17:51  |  Gary 28/11/07
      38.   Jews have right to return to Arab homelands 17:52  |  Jon 28/11/07
      39.   What, He should be lynched ! 17:55  |  El-Birawi 28/11/07
      40.   SJ, dont` laugh, they gave Palestine to the Jews 17:59  |  El-Birawi 28/11/07
      41.   Antichrist, Antisemites and Islamist-Jihadists 18:02  |  Brod 28/11/07
      42.   Just Like I Said, Here They Are 18:03  |  Yaakov Sullivan 28/11/07
      43.   if the cardinal had abrain he would realise that it applies to th 18:07  |  victor hardman 28/11/07
      44.   Vatican: and we have right to get our Ark back! 18:11  |  Richard S 28/11/07
      45.   So what about all the Catholic countries that drove out Jews? 18:13  |  curious 28/11/07
      46.   Perhaps the Vatican should be returned to Italy 18:14  |  Jake 28/11/07
      47.   vatican knows about our homeland 18:15  |  laura 28/11/07
      48.   "yaakov" and the invisible spitting venom 18:15  |  Richard S 28/11/07
      49.   Right, Richard, right....... 18:20  |  Yaakov Sullivan 28/11/07
      50.   ballistic, you make no sense, whatsoever 18:22  |  Jake 28/11/07
      51.   El Birawi talks of lynching 18:24  |  Jake 28/11/07
      52.   Of course the Pals have a right ! ! ! 18:27  |  Shekinah 28/11/07
      53.   Richard S, Ignorance is not bliss 18:36  |  Yaakov Sullivan 28/11/07
      54.   Papist Poop 18:37  |  Mark Lincoln 28/11/07
      55.   refugees rights 18:42  |  igco 28/11/07
      56.   #52 Shekinah 18:43  |  Jimmy 28/11/07
      57.   to#3 18:44  |  igco 28/11/07
      58.   Taking cues from the vatican -what a joke 18:46  |  don 28/11/07
      59.   Invaders must return2 their home in arabs lands 18:49  |  sam 28/11/07
      60.   dr. ben alofs and un-resolutions #25 19:05  |  scallywag 28/11/07
      61.   CONFUSED CARDINAL NEEDS A HISTORY LESSON : BUT HE HAS AN IDEA 19:06  |  A.Postates 28/11/07
      62.   To SJ #3 19:18  |  Serenity 28/11/07
      63.   Sullivan and his new friends at the church 19:22  |  not a drunk irishman 28/11/07
      64.   CARDINAL MARTINI¤THEIR HOMELANDS ARE ARABIA AND EGYPT 19:24  |  ¤¤ Pay Pal ¤¤ 28/11/07
      65.   Cardinal