Tributes by UN officials mark passing of Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish
13 August 2008 – Senior United Nations officials in the Middle East have joined their voices to those paying tribute to the late
Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, who was laid to rest today.
The UN’s Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO), Robert Serry, sent his condolences to the
Palestinian people following the death of the 67-year-old writer who died on Saturday.
Mr. Darwish passionately voiced the aspirations of the Palestinian people for justice, freedom and statehood with
eloquence and artistry, said Mr. Serry.
The Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said that
with Mr. Darwish’s passing, “the world has lost a uniquely compelling voice and a passionate advocate against
dispossession and the pain it engenders.”
Karen AbuZayd added that Mr. Darwish was the poet of exile, the refugees’ poet, whose universal language of dislocation
and alienation will be heard for many years to come.
ENDS