Transcript of the UN humanitarian briefing in Amman, Jordan, 27 March, 2003

[David]

Transcript of the UN humanitarian briefing in Amman, Jordan, 27 March, 2003

Nejib Friji, Spokesman

The Secretary General noted like everybody around the world the terrifying impact of modern weaponry on Iraq and its people.

In his address to the Security Council, he emphasized two guiding principles, on which he believes there is no disagreement, and which should underpin all the International Community's efforts or its decisions in the future of Iraq.

The first principle is respect for Iraq's sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence.

And the second, which flows logically from the first, is respect for the right of the Iraqi people to determine their own political future and control their own natural resources.

As far as the continuous remarks regarding the Secretary General's decision to temporarily withdraw the UN international staff, I would like to stress that the Secretary General has been highlighting the absolute priority of humanitarian assistance to Iraqis at every possible turn for some time now, including in the Council. But as Secretary General he is mandated with the protection of UN staff, and cannot possibly leave them in the middle of a massive war. The UN international staff were the last to be withdrawn, after all diplomatic missions had withdrawn theirs.

I would like to reiterate the Secretary General's gratitude and respect to the UN Iraqi national staff who even now are at work bringing what limited relief they can to their fellow citizens. Those brave and devoted Iraqis deserve our profound respect.

I would like to draw your attention as well that Mr. Sergio de Mello, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, made a statement this morning during the 59th Commission on Human Rights. Copies of this statement are available outside.

David Wimhurst, spokesperson for UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq (UNHCI)


In Baghdad food and water are in very short supply in local markets, and in some cases non-existent, Islamic Relief reports. All hospitals are coping for the time being, but staff remain concerned that there could be a surge in the number of war-wounded. The International Committee of the Red Cross is trying to evaluate the state of all city hospitals, but this assessment has been hampered by heavy bombardment.

The ICRC has reconnected the pumping units and power control system of the water treatment plant serving southern areas of Baghdad, which now operates at 60% of its capacity. Those without access to safe water remain at risk.

In Basrah, the water shortage continues to be serious. The ICRC has partially restarted the main water pumping facility serving Basrah city, but spare parts are needed for the three remaining back-up generators. While half the city's 1.5 million inhabitants now have access to drinking water, three urban centres south of Basrah (Al-Zubayr, Safwan and Jabjud) remain disconnected since last Friday. About 400,000 people are affected and remain at risk. Repair work is not possible in these areas under present conditions.

North/South. The security situation at the dividing lines between the centre/south and three northern governorates is unstable because of ongoing air attacks and reports of sporadic shelling. Elsewhere in the north the situation is calm. Schools remain closed but other social institutions are functioning. People continue to return to major urban centres and economic activity is increasing. The ICRC, UN agencies and NGOs continue to provide assistance to the population in need.

In Erbil governorate: Thirteen schools are occupied by a total of 1,606 IDPs in the town of Soran and 230 tents have been erected.

In Dahuk governorate: the UN Office of Programme Support is providing 272,100 litres of potable water per day for 11,000 people.

Khaled Mansour, Spokesman for the World Food Programme (WFP)

About half the WFP staff members in Erbil are still reporting to work - mainly in the warehouse (on the outskirts of the city). The workload has also declined because the food distributions, while continuing, have been scaled down, due to reduced levels of stock.
We have been concentrating on distributing to areas where residents are hosting displaced relatives. WFP monitors visited 50 food agents and reported that 60% of families had collected their rations. Schools have been closed since the war began, initially because of the spring holiday, but they have not re-opened.


Most displaced people in Sulimaniya are staying with relatives and friends - but some of them are housed in mosques and schools.
Just under half the shops in Sulaymaniyah were open yesterday, but 95% of the bakeries were working. WFP staff say prices of wheat flour and vegetable ghee have risen 100% as have vegetable prices, since the closure of the route leading to central Iraq. Benzene supply has also ceased from GoI-controlled territory though fuel is getting through from Iran. Prices have risen by 60%.


In Kuwait: The third plane of an emergency airlift of HEB biscuits has arrived. There are 120 of HEB now in Kuwait.

Fadela Chaib, Spokeswoman for the World Health Organization (WHO)
WHO Operations
The World Health Organization team in Iraq is working intensively to keep the health system functioning. Working with the national authorities, WHO teams are distributing medicines and other medical supplies in northern Iraq. WHO also has a team, which is seeking permits to travel from Baghdad to Basra to assist with the potential health emergency in Iraq's second largest city. WHO continues to believe that the health of the population is under serious treat from the lack of access to safe, clean drinking water. For now, the national heath authorities in Iraq have reported no outbreaks of communicable disease in the city.

Baghdad
Heavy bombardment of Baghdad is continuing and is having a serious impact on the well-being of the population, particularly children and other vulnerable groups (pregnant women, the elderly and disabled). The bombardment also makes it extremely difficult for medical staff to get to those who may need medical assistance, including women in labour. WHO direct contact with national health authorities has established that for now, there are no disease outbreaks in Baghdad or the surrounding areas. They also report that for now, hospitals in and around the capital have not reported any lack of medical supplies or staff.

Northern Governorates

WHO staff in the northern governorates have organised a number of rapid health assessments among people who have left their homes in and around the city of Suleiymaniyah. These teams are working with the local health authorities to respond to reports of possible outbreaks of diarrhoeal diseases and acute respiratory infections among these populations. WHO has also been working to strengthen the capacity of local health facilities, particularly through deliveries of medicines and other supplies. WHO has also been working to improve the surveillance system in the local community. This is vital so that outbreaks of disease can rapidly be identified and treated.

Geoffrey Keele, Spokesman for the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF)

UNICEF national staff in Iraq continued to provide services to relieve immediate humanitarian needs, and put in place emergency services to save lives and look after the welfare of children.

In Baghdad, Hatim George, the UNICEF officer in charge, said the national staff feel they are 'affirming their existence by continuing to work and doing what they can'. Fifty of the First Aid kits sent to Baghdad have been distributed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs to child care institutions and those looking after the elderly. Each kit has material for up to a 100 people.

In northern Iraq teams are urgently addressing the needs of a largely urban population, which has chosen to leave main towns and live in the countryside. The UNICEF staff in Sulymaniyah have started distributions by water tankers for IDP families living between Kalar and Darbandikhan towns. In addition work has started to build latrines for 450 families. Material has also been sent for the construction of emergency water facilities for 40 tents in the Bazyan area. A UNICEF team of water, health and Child Protection staff visited Penjween and Nalparez. One of the immediate actions to be undertaken as a result is for two deep wells to be overhauled to take into account the needs of the expanded population. From Erbil work has begun on emergency water facilities and latrines for the Delizyan camp, which is to have 192 tents.

UNICEF is concerned by a report that military equipment has been found in a school. The agency urges all parties in conflicts to ensure that schools are places that do not invite attack and remain a secure environment for children where their right to education can be fulfilled.

Chris Lom, Spokesman for the International Organization for Migration (IOM)

The first four of 73 Somalis sheltering in the Ruweished transit camp for third country nationals fleeing Iraq will leave Jordan for the United Arab Emirates tonight with IOM.

Two Djiboutians are scheduled to return home on Friday and a further six Somalis will leave Amman for Mogadishu with IOM on Sunday morning.

The weather in the camp, which is run by the Jordanian Red Crescent with support from the IFRC and IOM, improved dramatically today.

Yesterday's sandstorm has abated and IOM spokesperson Jean Philippe Chauzy, who is in Ruweished, reported sunshine and blue skies. "There's a great feeling of relief in the camp," he says.

Over the past week, IOM has bussed some 562 third country nationals fleeing Iraq from the border to the camp. Some 377 of them, including 305 Sudanese and 41 Egyptians, have already returned home with IOM by air, road and sea.

Some 171 people remain in the camp, pending their return home. Last night two more Egyptians arrived in the camp from Iraq.

In Syria, third country nationals continue to arrive in small numbers from Iraq. On Sunday 28 Moroccans left Damascus for Casablanca with IOM. On Tuesday a further four also left. Yesterday six Sudanese and one Egyptian returned home. Tonight an Egyptian family of eight will leave for Cairo.

IOM staff at border crossing points report that third country nationals arriving in Syria have generally paid for transport from Baghdad to Damascus and therefore don't need assistance at the border. In Damascus, under an agreement with UNWRA, the UN Palestinian Refugee Agency, they can stay in the UNWRA compound while IOM arranges their onward travel home.

In Iran, IOM has deployed operations staff to Kermanshah, following reports of Sudanese nationals arriving at the Iraqi border. If the Sudanese or other third country nationals enter Iran, IOM will process them and arrange onward transport to their home countries.

Peter Kessler, Spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

There have been no reported arrivals of refugees. We hope this means that all our preparedness activites in the region have been futile, but these are still early days.

Media keep asking when we expect any Iraqi refugees to flee in substantial numbers. Well, to repeat a quip I heard here yesterday, UNHCR is a "non-prophet" organisation.

During the 1991 Gulf war there were similarly no substantial refugee movements. Major refugee flows were only seen when security problems erupted in southern and northern Iraq that sent more than 1.8 million people into neighbouring Iran and Turkey within the space of a few weeks. We hope this won't be repeated, but we must be prepared. The insecurity and persecution that leads to refugee flows does not always accompany conflict.

The situation inside Iraq rests extremely fragile, particularly in Basra, but throughout the country civilians similarly confront daily serious humanitarian needs and security problems that can lead to displacement. We are working to help countries in this region prepare for any refugee movements that may arise down the road. In our regional stockpiles in Jordan, Iran and Turkey we have sufficient relief items for more than 300,000 people. UNHCR has so far received more than $25 million of the $60 million in preparedness funds that we requested in February, while our expenditures total $29 million.

Elsewhere, we've had word that some 90 refugees living in northern Iraq have asked to be repatriated to Turkey, and we're looking into assisting them homewards. Elsewhere in Iraq, workers at the Al Tash and Makhmour refugee camps, which shelter 13,000 Iranian refugees and 9,200 Turkish refugees respectively, continue to ensure services at these camps.

Nadine Shoumounki, Spokeswoman for the United Nations Development Programm (UNDP)

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is very active in Iraq, having worked consistently on projects throughout the country since 1976. Recent conflicts have not stopped our work.

UNDP's Officer In Charge, Mr. Rami Baroudi has confirmed that the UNDP office is open for a limited duration each day.

UNDP manages development projects throughout Iraq including in the three northern governorates: Dahuk, Erbil and Sulaymaniyah. We have nearly 500 staff employees in the country.

UNDP has rebuilt much of the electricity network in the three northern governorates. The Electricity Network Rehabilitation Programme (ENRP) is the largest UNDP undertaking in Iraq. ENRP has received about $1 billion from the Oil-for-Food programme since December 1996.

UNDP provides emergency power supply to basic humanitarian services, such as hospitals, water pumping and water purification stations, sewerage infrastructure, and camps of internally displaced persons and refugees. UNDP also assists other humanitarian organizations with the power supply required for their emergency humanitarian activities.

Tomorrow Mr. Gerard Gomez our Chief of Procurement Section for the UNDP/ENRP Project will be on the panel and can brief you on the background and current status of the ENRP project in Iraq.


There are handouts available outside covering UNDP's work in Iraq.

Nejib Friji, on UNRWA

A few days ago, we received a question on the Palestinian refugees back from Iraq, I would like to say on the behalf of UNRWA to the best of UNRWA's knowledge there are 4 families of 20 people currently being accommodated in the third country national transit camp at Ruwaished. UNRWA's field office in Jordan sent a 6 persons team to Ruwaished on Tuesday to interview the families & look into their health conditions & other needs. The agency's registration staff are examining the details of the families to determine their eligibility for assistance from UNRWA within its mandate. Should any of these families be admitted in Jordan & should they found eligible, UNRWA will offer all the assistance normally provided for the Palestinian refugees residing in the agency's area of operation. UNRWA's is in touch with UNHCR & IOM to ensure that these families continue to be cared for, until their status is determined in Jordan. For any further details, please contact UNRWA's office in Amman.

Questions and Answers

Q: There was mention of a report that the military equipment was found in a school, which school is that, is it in Baghdad & what kind of equipment?

A: We have no details on the kind of equipment that was found, but the school was in the South of Basra area.

Q: Michael Jansen, Irish Times: Yesterday a British military briefing officer in Qatar, confirmed that they were using that they were using Depleted Uranium Tanks. What would the legal, health, environmental implications of the use of these shells is?

Q: These weapons are not addressed by any international treaty; so they are not illegal. UNEP has conducted a number of scientific studies of the environmental effect of these weapons in the Balkans. What we find is that when these weapons are used, you can detect a very low level of radiation in the target zone. However, they are very low & don't cause any significant risks. There are of course there are some remaining scientific uncertainties, notably whether they can enter ground water after a few years & whether they can be re-suspended in the air with the dust being kicked out with wind, human activity & potentially breathed in. Our view is that DU weapons are used, it's important to clean up the targeted sites & also conduct scientific assessments of the area.

A: If we go back to the first Gulf War, the Iraqi Minister requested WHO to conduct a research on DU on the health of the population, because of Iraqi concerns in the increase of cancer, & other diseases. The WHO technical staff met twice with the health authorities of Baghdad, the second in Geneva, but unfortunately the second meeting was held on the day of the beginning of this war. The second day was cancelled because one person from the Iraqi staff didn't attend.

When WHO staff met in Baghdad & Geneva, they decided to conduct four researches; one on cancer, the other on congenital malformation & diseases, the third on studies to explore health effects of environmental risk including DU, the fourth & most important is the implementation plan for cancer control. It's very difficult to attribute to any environmental risk, so it's very important for any country to have a good cancer register. It was decided that they will discuss the four proposals but as I mentioned, it was not possible to talk because of the war. So it will be followed once this crisis is over

WHO has also conducted missions related to health effects of DU in Kosovo & Iraq. These did not involve any clinical observations of the patients, but on a larger epidemiological picture, the most important was to establish a cancer register in Iraq. It is very difficult to determine the DU's risk of creating cancer, so it is hard to have cancer attributed to DU or other health factors. There is a wide gap in knowledge when it comes to DU. These gaps are filled up by more research missions & discussion with the research & health community.

Q: We are daily listening to the Spokespersons of the UN, we feel that the attack on the Iraqi civilians are increasing & becoming more severe & that the Iraqis are steadfast in the defense & we find that the UN is doing very little to help the Iraqi civilians. What have you done effectively done for the Iraqi people to stop the war? Do you have any information about an occupation of the H2 & H3 in Iraq & this would prevent Jordanian trucks from reaching Iraq & providing relief to Iraq by oil for food programme.

A: As you know the Secretary General through his efforts, has repeatedly affirmed that the war was never a final option to solve dispute. He also said, that if war was necessary, it is a final option. Especially as disarming Iraq was concerned. He also affirmed that he was hopeful that this conflict will end as soon as possible & he is now working with all the parties at the Security Council to potentially reach the formula for the benefit for the Iraqis & resume the oil for food programme. It is the Security Council that has the final word to interfere & end this conflict. As for the occupation of the sites you have mentioned, we have no information that the areas were occupied today; these military news are not available for us now & as soon as we get some information we will confirm it & see if it will prevent in any way the humanitarian supplies going there.

Q: I think the situation in Baghdad or the humanitarian needs are increasing gradually. When do you think that you will be able to reach Iraq or will you wait & ask the ICRC to that on your behalf; what are you doing after a week, since nothing reached Iraqi cities?

A: There are 3,400 UN staff still in Iraq working on the implementation of a number of humanitarian assistance programmes. My colleagues tell you about this everyday; and you know the Oil for Food programme is suspended & the lifting of that suspension is under discussion in the Security Council & only when that takes place, resources in that programme can be used. Meanwhile, the Emergency Relief Agencies have made plans to move in as soon as possible to provide humanitarian assistance. But until now there has been no security clearance allowing us to do that. There is high risk where we would have to operate & we need a security clearance before moving in, but once those steps are taken, every agency will be back in Iraq within 48 hours.

Q: I heard the Japanese government will send 1,600 tents to Jordan. I think there are enough tents for the moment, what do you think?

A: The Japanese government is sending tents & they will arrive on Monday morning, there will we a ceremony in the airport, so you will be hearing more about it. There is no point in letting our guard down; in 1991 is a good example. In the early months of that crisis that were fleeing Iraq, very few; we can see refugees coming from Iraq, after any of the events have ended, & so it's vital that countries in this region maintain there levels of preparation for refugees.

Q: Will the UN have to make a formal application to the occupying powers to reenter Iraq with its International staff?

A: The international staff will go in when the UN security system provides the necessary threat assessment and clearance. Obviously there will be contacts with the military powers that have occupied various regions of Iraq. There will have to be necessary coordination between our humanitarian people & the military actors, but the civilian humanitarian operation will be separate from any military activities.

Q: You mentioned development projects in Iraq, how can this programme convince us that you are undertaking these projects while bombardment is taking place in Iraq? How are these continuing while the bombardment is killing everything?

A: UNDP is trying to maintain its existence through the local staff, approximately 500 staff; we understand it will be hard to report to work & attend to the needs, but we support them with international staff that have moved to neighboring countries. We are doing everything we can to keep those projects going, as well as all the projects we have in the north.

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