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IRAQ: A war resulted in humanitarian catastrophe; UN

(AP) BAGHDAD - The UN humanitarian programs in Iraq are moving forward at full speed, they have suffered any slowdown because of the crisis but, undoubtedly, a war against this Country would lead to a''catastrophe''of biblical proportions, with over 11 million people starving and in grave danger.
Resounding the alert - never quite confirmed by the international media - and 'Veronique Taveau, spokeswoman for the office of the coordinator of UN humanitarian program for Iraq (Unohci), Portuguese Ramiro Lopes da Silva. Meanwhile''- begins Veronique, journalist and until recently a correspondent in Rome of a French TV - let me make it clear that it is not 'right, and as' written in recent days, nearly half 'of the staff of' UN in Iraq, with the exception of UNMOVIC and IAEA inspectors, was evacuated as a precautionary measure.''
And''The 'Treaty - he said - a normal rotation that occurs every three months, want to leave not taken or anything, but there' was no evacuation, no one has ever told them 'go away'. Here work more 'or less 900 people from around the world and at present we are more' than 500, which means more 'than half'. Here you are working on a personal basis: those who want to leave and 'free to do so, so' as is' who decides to stay. After all - adds Veronique - any decision about a possible evacuation of UN staff from Baghdad has to come from New York, UN Headquarters.'' To date
''- says the spokesman - the nearly 900 UN international staff are supported by 3,400 employees Iraqis, 2,400 in northern Italy and 1,000 in Baghdad.'' The discussion then moves to the question of humanitarian aid, the UN launched in 1996 under the program 'food for oil', which allows Iraq to export crude oil every six months for 5.2 billion dollars for the purchase of genres food and medicines to the people.
Of this figure - which includes $ 300 million for the purchase of spare parts for the oil industry - two thirds are destined to the program 'food for oil'. Only in week 15 to 21 February, Iraq exported 11.9 million barrels of oil - an average of 1.7 million barrels a day - for a total of almost 338 million dollars at a price of about 28.55 dollars a barrel. But despite this injection of money, a drop of water in the sea, the food rations that are distributed each month to the population - and that, fearing a conflict in recent months have been doubled to make it 'that families have home now in stock for six months - do not reach the standard food for adequate nutrition.

''All Iraqis - explains Veronique - both the rich and the poor, are entitled to receive their monthly ration of food. The problem 'that if 80 percent of the population receiving these rations, 60 per cent - ie,' the 11 million people more 'poor - is entirely up to them. I mean, 'if not receipts, would have starved.''

But not enough. The rations are inadequate for proper nutrition. Veronique It proves this by showing the list of food content in the rations in June and July next, which, inter alia, are already 'been distributed. It demonstrates, for example, that the 500 grams of beans that every Iraqi adult receives each month with their ration book is only 16 percent of what they would need to have the right number of calories. Same for the milk (only 13 per cent), salt (50 percent) and vegetable oil (83 percent).

a little better, 'the situation for infants, which, however, also receive only 25 percent of the food required for weaning in a month (mostly 'grains) that should be nourished in this sensitive period of development. And this''- includes Veronique - there 'to add that 60 percent of currently pregnant women are anemic, mainly due to lack of iron in the diet. And what 'causes the birth of underweight babies, then more' weak and more 'exposed to an early death.''

According to the spokesman, also the government initiative, which has already 'rations ration distributed in advance until July, will serve as' a little to alleviate the problems. The risk of hunger is''- says Veronique -. The stocks are dwindling because 'people in need of cash, and as to survive in these 12 years we have 'already' sold everything 'that he had sold the house, now sells food rations on the black market to buy medicine or clothes for their children.''
But in case of war the problem of people will not be 'just the food:''The situation is even more' dramatic 'cause there would be no electricity - continues the spokesperson - and this would mean a little water and polluted. Therefore a serious risk of spread of epidemics of all kinds, starting with dysentery.'' ''After 12 years of sanctions, the situation of the population and 'now extremely fragile - Veronique claims seriously - and a war would cause a real catastrophe.'' 02/28/2003 15:34

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Electrosmog, new limits "the most stringent in Europe '

But environmentalists: protect only the interests of big

(Source: Corriere della Sera)

ROME - "Now, for the so-called electro-smog, we have more stringent limits in Europe," they exclaim in chorus, the Communications Minister Maurizio Gasparri and the Environment Matteoli. "Nah, these limits only protect powerful interests and not public health," replied the environmentalists. The decrees of the troubled electrosmog framework law, approved yesterday by the Council of Ministers, have revived the controversy about the biological effects of electromagnetic fields from power lines (low frequency) and satellite television and cellular phone (high frequencies). As usual, both on the political and scientific-technical level, there are clearly opposing views.

Power Distribution - The new decrees to establish for the power lines, valued at attention, that is a limit on grounds of possible adverse effects in the medium and long term as a result of prolonged exposure, 10 microtesla (unit of magnetic field). The previous legislation did not provide any attention value. However, there are rules in 1992 and 1995 which indicated a limit of 100 microtesla a guarantee of 'acute' (those that occur immediately). "The attention value of 10 microtesla - said Matteoli - is ten times lower than that recommended by the committee of five experts (Cognetti oncologist, epidemiologist Doll, Rapacholi the physician, physicist and engineer Regge Falciasecca), which had advised to adhere to the values \u200b\u200bof 100 microtesla indicated by the European Community. Setting limits among the most stringent in the world, we wanted to address the concerns expressed by citizens. " The decree also establishes an "objective quality" of 3 microtesla be applied to the lines of future construction.


ANTENNAS - The value of care established by the new decree is 6 volts per meter (unit of measurement of the electric field). In this case there are new compared to the past because it is already a rule in 1998 provided for the same value. "This is an extremely precautionary measure for the population - emphasizes the Minister of Environment -, ten times lower, for example, compared to that in force in Britain." Gasparri added: "It 'a decree that not only protect the citizens, but facilitates the development of mobile networks of third generation UMTS.


CAUTION - "By these decrees was killed on the principle precautionary - Valerie countered Mr Shoemaker, former Undersecretary for Environment -. In fact, the limit of 10 microtesla is twenty times higher than that used in the first draft of the decree drawn up two years ago of the center. With these numbers, will be little or no remediation. As for the long-term effects on health, we will see if it will be felt. " Equally upset the Green Pecoraro Scanio, who spoke of "amnesty on the skin of the people" and called for the referendum.


Carretta - an almost unanimous vote, however, even by environmentalists, another decree on environmental protection which, anticipating the new EU legislation, prohibits the entry into ports so-called "ships of shame ', single-hull tankers, over the age of 15 years, carrying fuel and other hazardous products.

Franco Foresta Martin