Transcript of the UN humanitarian briefing in Amman, Jordan, 9 April

[David]

Nejib Friji, UN Spokesman

Secretary General Kofi Annan cancelled his visit to four European countries, as announced yesterday. He will be traveling to Athens, Greece, to attend the European Summit there.

The Secretary General is going to meet with the Ambassadors of Egypt, Algeria and China later today.

The Director-General of UNESCO, Ko?chiro Matsuura, deplored the heavy toll paid by the press in Iraq and reminded the belligerents of their obligation to treat journalists as civilians.

Mr. Matsuura declared: "I deplore the fact that so many journalists in Iraq are paying for their commitment to their profession with their lives. Their chosen task of informing the public is particularly difficult and dangerous in times of war. I wish to express my grief for their heavy losses and my admiration for their courage."

Three journalists were killed in Baghdad yesterday. Reuters news agency cameraman, Taras Protsyuk, and Spanish television channel Tele 5 cameraman, Jos? Couso, died following the shelling of a hotel used by the majority of foreign journalists in the city. An Al-Jazeera correspondent, Tarek Ayoub, also died when the television broadcaster's offices in the Iraqi capital were shelled.

Mr. Matsuura reiterated his call on the belligerents to respect established international agreements: "On no account must journalists be targeted," he said, recalling Article 79 of the Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions which states that, "Journalists engaged in dangerous professional missions in areas of armed conflict shall be considered as civilians."

The UN High Commissioner for the Human Rights, Sergio Vieira de Mello, is deeply disturbed by the reports of the increasing number of deaths of civilians, as well as injuries, during the conflict in Iraq.

The High Commissioner is also concerned that the fighting has already claimed the lives of some dozen journalists, injured several others, and that the media locations have been hit. "The right to freedom of information is dealt a fatal blow whenever a journalist is killed or wounded in the performance of his or her vital role", he said.

David Wimhurst, Spokesman for the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq (UNHCOI)


The breakdown of law and order in Baghdad and in Basra has been accompanied by widespread looting. The collapse of civilian authority in the two largest cities in the country must be addressed by the occupying military forces, which have responsibility under international humanitarian law to maintain a secure environment for the civilian population. The longer the situation remains out of control, the more difficult it will be to start humanitarian relief operations and the greater the delay in beginning the work of reconstruction. The operating environment for humanitarian assistance requires secure access to populations in need. That environment does not yet exist, except in Umm Qasr and from Turkey, in the north.

The United Nations has been in contact with the Humanitarian Operations Centre in Kuwait and has raised its very serious concerns regarding the disintegration of local law and order. The UN has emphasized that it is the responsibility of the occupying forces to bring this situation under control as quickly as possible.

The very difficult conditions in which Baghdad hospitals are now operating have been further exacerbated by the breakdown of law and order, which is preventing access to medical facilities by hospital staff and other essential service workers. Health workers, water treatment technicians and generator maintenance crews must be provided safe access to their places of work. The United Nations urges all parties to this conflict to guarantee access to medical facilities for all health and essential service staff.

The International Committee of the Red Cross continues to report that hospitals are overwhelmed by the numbers of war-wounded seeking treatment. Numerous medical facilities no longer have water or electricity. The Qanat water pumping station has ceased to function.

In Basrah, the ICRC reports that water facilities are no longer staffed and are among the buildings that have been looted.

There is an unconfirmed report that close to 5,000 internally displaced people have gathered 70 km to the north of Baghdad.

In Iran, a 13-year-old boy has been reported killed after a rocket hit a community about five kilometres from Abadan.

The Oil for Food Programme has identified four new ports for the delivery and transhipment of emergency food and other essential items once security conditions allow. The four ports are Latakia in Syria, Iskenderun in Turkey, Aquaba in Jordan and Kuwait City. An information sheet on this issue is available outside.

Fadela Chaib, Spokeswoman for the World Health Organization (WHO)

Hospitals and medical staff in Baghdad
Television pictures and other reports from Baghdad paint a very mixed picture of celebration mixed with looting. In these circumstances, the World Health Organization reminds all those involved in the conflict of their obligation to protect the neutrality of medical facilities and health workers. If health workers cannot get to their places of work - or worse, if they are injured or killed - the urgent health needs of the civilian population cannot be met.
Reports from Baghdad tell of serious civilian casualties and growing pressure on hospitals and health workers. Electricity supplies are erratic - and standby generators are being overworked to the point of collapse; many hospitals are running short of clean, safe water. Staff are working extremely long hours in unimaginable circumstances and some vital surgical and medical supplies are running short. Information from the Iraqi capital is sporadic and incomplete, but there is a clear picture emerging of enormous pressure on the city's health and other basic services.

We want to give you an idea of what it is like in a hospital where the basic infrastructure is not functioning and where doctors and nurses have to perform difficult emergency surgical operations and provide intensive care without access to some of the most basic services and supplies.

Water is the most vital need. Without a ready supply of clean, safe water, medical staff cannot clean wounds, replace dressings or ensure the most basic hygiene. Wounds and surgical scars that are not kept clean rapidly become septic, particularly as external temperatures rise. Surgery becomes more of a threat than a solution.

Electricity is vital for all but the most basic hospital equipment - without it, medical staff cannot monitor the vital signs of the most injured patients. Operations may have to be carried out by the light of paraffin lamps or torches. Vaccines, some medicines and blood supplies have to be kept below a certain temperature otherwise they spoil and cannot be safely used. Electricity also powers water pumping stations.

Most of the hospitals in Baghdad have some form of backup power supply - but generators are not designed to work 24 hours, day after day. Bullet wounds and injuries caused by shrapnel or missile blasts may require extensive surgery, including amputation. Again, a sterile environment is vital. Without it, infection sets in and the result can be life-threatening. People who are crushed when buildings collapse need intensive medical care, often including kidney dialysis. People who are burnt by blasts or the fires they cause have to be cared for constantly and their dressings have to be cleaned and changed regularly - with clean water and sterile equipment. Infected wounds deteriorate rapidly and the stench they produce is foul, further worsening the working environment for hospital staff. Doctors and nurses have to make rapid assessments and difficult decisions about which of many badly injured people they should treat first. As a result, some people may die. The stress and psychological toll on health care workers is impossible to overestimate.

Hospitals may run out of emergency medical supplies if, as now, large numbers of people require surgical or intensive care. There are already reports from Baghdad of shortages of surgical supplies, anaesthetics and strong painkillers.

WHO is flying in 50 surgical kits, which will arrive in Amman on Wednesday and Thursday. Each kit contains sufficient anaesthetics, surgical equipment and medical disposables, such as bandages and syringes, for 100 surgical interventions and several days post-operative care. We are working hard to find a way to deliver these kits to the hospitals where they are most urgently needed.


Outside Baghdad
Although the information from Baghdad is incomplete, it is considerably better than the information from much of the rest of central and southern Iraq. WHO is extremely concerned about the situation in Nasiriya, Najaf, Karbala and the many other towns where there has been conflict, where there are also reports of water and power shortages, and where the health needs have not been assessed. WHO and its partners in the health sector again remind of the urgent need for negotiated access to the civilian population of Iraq. We are working hard to get our international staff back into Iraq. We will move back into as much of the country as we can, as soon as it is safe to do so.

Wivina Belmonte, Spokeswoman for the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF)
Urges warring parties to ensure secure humanitarian access to children under siege

UNICEF issued a warning today that despite significant progress in humanitarian cross-border trucking operations, early attempts by UNICEF to reach Iraqi children and women were being significantly hampered by what it called "a residue of fear and chaos."

Praising the courage of civilian contract drivers venturing into recently fought-over towns and cities to deliver aid, the UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy said that all forces, which controlled territory, were also obliged to provide secure access to civilian populations.

"When UNICEF talks about access, we mean ensuring that humanitarian aid reaches the children and women who need it most," said Bellamy. "That means that we have to be able to physically get to a town, get to those who most urgently need aid and deliver it in a way that ensures it's being used by those weakened and besieged by thirst, fear and hunger. Although we're beginning to reach many places, we're encountering a residue of fear and chaos."

In the months prior to the outbreak of the war in Iraq, UNICEF positioned thousands of tonnes of life-saving supplies both inside the country, and in neighbouring countries, in readiness for a rapid emergency distribution to Iraqis. These included high-protein biscuits for malnourished children, therapeutic milk, water purification tablets and essential medicines.

In recent days, as the trucking operation to replenish water supplies in southern Iraq has gained momentum, UNICEF drivers have reported large-scale looting of schools and government facilities, in areas through which coalition forces have passed.

"Even conflicts are guided by rules and humanitarian conventions. It is the responsibility of those who retain effective control of a territory to ensure that there is order and that there is secure access for the delivery of life-saving humanitarian aid," said Bellamy.

The UNICEF Representative to Iraq, Mr. Carel de Rooy, said that the humanitarian picture being flashed across television screens is stark, dire and worrying.

"Before this conflict took place, UNICEF had networks and systems inside Iraq that helped us achieve our life-saving vaccination campaigns, nutrition campaigns and work in education," said De Rooy. "What is horribly worrying about the looting, chaos and breakdown of order is that those systems we counted on, may completely disappear or collapse."

De Rooy added that as of the beginning of this week, the UNICEF Iraq appeal has received just one fifth of its funding.

Maarten Roest, Spokesman for the World Food Programme (WFP)


WFP undertakes to provide food for up to 27 million people - the entire Iraqi population - for a period of 4 months. It is a major enterprise for which our staff have been preparing for months to organise the complex logistics operation. However, we need to operate in a safe environment in order to deliver food successfully. Unless law and order prevail, it would be extremely difficult to guarantee the required food aid - 480,000 tons - reach the people.

For example, there have been reports of looting of Iraqi government warehouses in Basrah - the very warehouses which WFP is aiming to replenish for the May distribution. Under such circumstances, this does not seem possible.

Meanwhile, WFP food aid continues to flow into Northern Iraq from neighbouring Turkey. Dahuk has received 1,000 tonnes allocation of wheat flour and about three-quarters has been distributed to 36,785 people - mainly in the region near the Turkish border as well as in Dahuk city centre.

Moreover, a convoy of 53 trucks, carrying about 1,000 tonnes of flour, set off this morning from Dohuk for Erbil.

Peter Kessler, Spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for the Refugees (UNHCR)
The UN refugee agency is very concerned about the general lawlessness that is apparent in parts of Iraq.

UNHCR's fears that growing chaos in Iraq's cities and the precarious humanitarian situation could combine to spark the displacement of civilians.

We're concerned that, if allowed to continue and intensify, looting and lawlessness in urban centers could lead to possible revenge attacks among certain parts of Iraqi society.

The current security vacuum, exacerbated by the ongoing war and immediate humanitarian needs faced by the Iraqis, could combine to prompt people to flee.

We urge the occupying forces to take immediate measures to restore and maintain law and order and to ensure that humanitarian assistance flows to those who need it.

War is still on-going, and the euphoria apparent in some cities can be easily replaced by violence. We're very concerned that people may be displaced at this critical stage.

The occupying forces must ensure law and order on the ground so that Iraqi civilians do not suffer during this critical period.

Around the region we have not yet seen any significant refugee flows, as yet, which is good news. This morning our office in Syria reported the arrival of 20 persons, half of them children, and our mobile teams are now out visiting the border areas of the various countries.

Ziad Rifai, Spokesman for the UN Population Fund (UNFPA)

As fighting intensified in Baghdad, UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, today called on all parties to the conflict to fulfill their obligation to protect civilian lives. Pregnant women in particular are increasingly in danger, as local hospitals reportedly struggle to cope with large numbers of war casualties, medical supplies run low, many operating theatres are no longer usable, and la and order seems to be breaking down.

Available reports indicate that miscarriages, premature deliveries and caesarean sections have risen sharply since the start of the conflict.

Even before the war, pregnant Iraqi women faced unacceptable levels of risk. Over a decade of war and international sanctions have severely damaged the Iraqi health care system, while increasing poverty and poor nutrition have gravely undermined women's health. Maternal mortality has more than doubled.

Every day an estimated 2,000 women give birth in Iraq, one fifth of them in Baghdad. Even under normal circumstances, some 300 Iraqi women would require emergency obstetric care. The disruption of food distribution and access to water and electricity has further endangered the lives of these women and their expectants. Under these conditions, as hospital capacity is overwhelmed and mothers are unable to receive the emergency care they need, many may become indirect casualties of a conflict that has already claimed so many civilian lives.

Questions and Answers

Q: Before the war, many people warned that there is going to be a humanitarian disaster at the end of the war. Is this it, could this be characterized yet as a humanitarian disaster?

A: D. Wimhurst: I think we can characterize it as extremely critical, we have said all long that the supplies of food inside the country will be running out by the end of the month & if they are not replaced, then yes, you will have & very quickly a catastrophe. Right now, there is it appears enough food, in some areas, but the predominant conditions of no water, electricity, overcrowded hospitals, no access to medical facilities by essential health workers & the increasing civilian causalities, would make this a very critical situation & on top of that a break down of law & order. I think the situation is extremely serious, which is what I reflected in my statement.

N. Friji: I think there is a truth universally acknowledged that war is a humanitarian catastrophe. I hope you agree with us on that.

Q: What sort of aid does Iraq need & when are you planning to get aid into Iraq through Jordan?

A: D. Wimhurst: The most critical areas are medical, water & sanitization; water purification, water equipment & sanitation supplies. The danger is very real now in Baghdad, where water is breaking down; you will get contamination, the spread of contagious diseases & people who have been wounded will not be able to recover because they cannot have their wounds addressed effectively. So medical supplies are critical at the moment. In the longer term, food; if food doesn't start coming in very soon, we are supplying the north, but if food doesn't go in the major urban centers, then I think we will see something of a crisis by the end of this month.

As for your other question, that is a $64,000 question for everybody, because we need to have secure access & we don't know when that secure access will be made available. We are not on the ground & in control; we are waiting to see how soon we can have access. We only have access to Um Qaser in the south & we are looking at moving further on north & doing assessments up to perhaps Basra, but further north than that, it is impossible to say. So we don't have a calendar or timetable, although we would like to have one & we realize the situation is urgent, but the security conditions essentially to the north of Um Qaser are not permissive.

N. Friji: We would like to remind everyone that it is the full responsibility of the belligerent powers to ensure the welfare of the civilians & make sure the humanitarian assistance reaches the people in need.

Q: Not recorded

A: W. Belmonte: That is why each & every one of us today is underlying the point about securing access to all the people who need it. It is absolutely fundamental. In terms of the aid that is getting in, we had a bit of success gaining a foothold through Kuwait into southern Iraq, we started into Um Qaser, then Zubier, Safwan & the southern part of Basra, over a 100 trucks got in that way. It is a foothold, it is not enough, but it is aid getting in.

Q: Jihan, BBC Arabic Service: We heard that some of the UN offices in Baghdad have been looted, on a large scale. Can we get confirmation of which UN offices exactly? We heard WFP warehouses in Baghdad & UNDP offices, what exactly happened & how does that affect your future operations?

A: D. Wimhurst: To our knowledge the Canal Hotel headquarters for the Oil for Food Programme staff & the weapons inspectors have been looted. UN vehicles have been seized by the looters. I am unaware if other UN buildings have been targeted, you mentioned UNDP, food warehouses, which would be under government control. Obviously once you get wide spread looting, if it affects the food supplies & they are simply stolen, that is very serious; because those food stocks are the current life line for the population, if they go then the population is in deep trouble. But I can't confirm other places, other than the Canal Hotel & vehicles along with many buildings being looted as well; we are in the same boat as everyone else.

Q: We heard yesterday about what Blair & Bush see as the UN role in post war building of Iraq. What would the UN like its to be given the choice? We also heard that the US in terms of a war crimes tribunal, is excluding the UN & suggested that a group of Iraqi juries; where as in Rwanda had a very active role in the war crime tribunals; what is your thought now?

A: N. Friji: As you know the UN has repeatedly stressed that in all our dealings, the welfare of the Iraqi people should be our first concern. Regarding any decision on post war Iraq, we expect the Security Council to determine & define the job of the UN. However, the UN has a long track record helping people around the world to heal the wounds of conflict t& rebuild their societies & initiations. When the war ends we must be ready to help the Iraqi people in so many ways, if we are mandated by the Security Council. The Secretary General said that he expects the UN to play an important role & has appointed a special advisor, Rafi EL Din Ahmad, to act as focal point in the UN system for the discussions on the form that role might take. The Secretary General has taken very high level diplomatic discussions with all the member countries in the UN, he just wrapped up meetings with the 191 countries represented in different regional groups, he will be traveling soon to attend the European Summit & all his work & efforts will focus on the UN role in Iraq. I would remind you that any decision or mandate to the UN should come from the Security Council, not from one or two countries. As far as the courts this is not the prerogative of the Secretary General, it is a decision by the Court itself & I think it should also be mandated by the Security Council.

Q: Russian Information Agency: How many water-pumping stations are there in Baghdad & how many are in operation now?

A: We don't know, but we can try & find out for you after the briefing.

Q: BBC: Can you just go back to looting in Baghdad, you said vehicles went, but is there anything else essential gone, like files or equipment that will make the Oil for Food Programme difficult to operate once you go back in?

A: D. Wimhurst: We are basing this information on eyewitness media accounts of the building being looted; we don't have an inventory being taken. We know vehicles are gone because we have seen them on television & we know that they are not being driven by our local staff, because our local staff were instructed not to touch the vehicles. What has gone from the buildings itself, I don't know. Actually they said the BBC watched this happening & as you work with the BBC you might have better information from your colleagues.

W. Belmonte: I want to tell you what the truck drivers going into southern Iraq have been telling us, they have been saying that any building which is empty, school or government building, seems to be the target of the looting. Anything, like a hospital, or health clinic where there are people working inside, has not been touched.

Q: AP: You said that the UN has been in contact with the Humanitarian Operation Center in Kuwait to raise concerns about the law & order situation. Are you aware of any response from the HOC?

A: D. Wimhurst: We are expecting a response sometime tomorrow.

Q: Nick Pallem, FT: When is UNSECOORD going to go into Baghdad? (Inaudible) There have been calls by NGO's for the abolition of the HOC & the transfer its responsibilities to the UN, what are your comments?

A: D. Wimhurst: On the first question I don't know when UN security are going to Baghdad, I think they will be working up from the south. The second question De Silva will be here on Saturday, so you can ask him yourself. The HOC is run by the Kuwaiti authorities with the British & American military, its continuing existence is up to them. We have a relationship with it based on essential information sharing, but we have absolutely no say in its existence & management. If people are calling for it to be abolished then I think you should take it up with the HOC.

Q: Petra News Agency: Do you consider the looting of the UN warehouses in Baghdad, as a message for the UN from the Iraqi people, as they are hungry & they want your help as soon as possible?

A; N. Friji: You know our relation with the people of Iraq & authorities in Iraq, has been going on for a long time & the relation we have with Iraq is one of a partnership. We have been involved with Iraq in a whole development process covering all sectors. Iraq has also hosted one of our major UN agencies, UNESCWA. Iraq hosts now a large number of UN agencies & within the new context the UN has to have an additional role there. We expect our relations in Iraq to continue, as the UN high officials asserted including the Secretary General & many other UN Head of agencies, our main concern are the Iraqi people oriented towards elevating the suffering of the Iraqi people, we expect our relations with Iraq to resume once these conditions end.

We don't take this as an attack on the UN at all, I have yet to have a confirmed report that the (government) warehouses has been looted, but in a situation of food security is very precarious & you have a break down of law & order, these situations will happen & they did happen in other conflicts too. But of course they will severely disrupt, until the food supplies are replaced, the continuing distribution of the food stocks, but we don't take it as a personal attack on the UN.

Q: Aida Taweel, Al Dustour: I was informed by ICRC that the communication with their base in Baghdad has been cut for the first time today, what are your source of information today since you are depending on the ICRC?

A: N. Friji: Before you arrived all UN agencies presented reports on the situation in Baghdad, we have already answered that.

D. Winhurst: I am not aware that the communications with the ICRC have been cut, but we are aware that one of the ICRC workers has been injured or disappeared & that this has caused the ICRC great concern.