The Hindu : Amnesty for U.N. open session on Iraq

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Feb 13, 2003

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Amnesty for U.N. open session on Iraq

By Our Diplomatic Correspondent

NEW DELHI Feb. 12. Amnesty International has written to the U.N. Security Council to express concern that the likely impact of military action against Iraq had not received the attention it deserved and should be debated in an open session attended by all U.N. members.

In a statement released here today, Amnesty said it was deeply concerned that the current human rights and humanitarian situation in Iraq might rapidly deteriorate in case of military action.

"There is, therefore, a need for close scrutiny of, and expert advice on, the human rights situation in Iraq," it said.

"The humanitarian and human rights consequences of war must be given high priority by the Security Council. When war is contemplated against a country, whose people have been suffering from severe violations by their government and more than a decade of sanctions, the need for such an assessment is even more important,'' Irene Khan, Amnesty Secretary-General, was quoted as saying in the statement.

" The U.N. Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, plans to discuss the human impact of conflict in Iraq in an informal briefing of the Security Council, but this issue is too serious to be discussed behind closed doors. A formal, open and transparent debate is needed,'' Ms. Khan stated.

The Security Council, Amnesty said, should examine the risk that military action would lead to a massive displacement crisis similar to that of 1991.

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