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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