Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit said Monday that the issue of Palestinian refugees is not insoluble as Israel claims.

In his opening address at the consultative committee meeting of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), Abul Gheit said the Arab peace initiative adopted a realistic and just principle in this respect based on reaching a just solution to the refugees issue in conformity with UN General Assembly resolution 194.

Abul Gheit said the refugees and land issues will remain the core and crux of the Arab-Israeli conflict, asserting Israel's responsibility for the refugees issue despite its attempts to twist facts.

"Refugees who left their homes as babies in 1948 are now parents and grandparents. They all wish to go back home and become part of an independent state," Abul Gheit said.

It is the first time that the annual meeting of UNRWA, the UN agency that aids Palestinian refugees, is held in Egypt.

Abul Gheit added that the international community will have to confront Israel's repeated attempts to evade its responsibilities in Palestinian refugees issue, referring to the sufferings of more than 7 million Palestinian refugees around the world.

He called to add the issue of refugees to the agenda of Palestinian-Israeli negotiations with the aim of reaching a solution satisfactory to both sides.

He described Israel's settlement activities as illegitimate, asserting the fact that the Palestinian refugees will never waive their legitimate rights and will remain steadfast until their dream of an independent state comes true.