The Hindu : Onus on Iraqi officials, says U.N.

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 02, 2003

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International

Onus on Iraqi officials, says U.N.

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

Iraqi men try to get food packages handed out by British soldiers in Safwan on Monday. — AFP

UNITED NATIONS APRIL 1. The U.N. cannot get involved in the humanitarian relief in a full-fledged fashion until hostilities end in Iraq, officials say. "We are preparing for the day," the spokesman for the Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, said, a reference to when the conflict ends. The U.N. is also stressing that the onus now is really on the de facto authorities in Iraq to do what is required as far as the humanitarian needs of the people in that country. "We have to rely on the de facto authorities...We're doing everything we can" was the refrain.

The U.N. officials contend that it still has about 3500 people working in Iraq. While the staff in the north are operating 100 per cent those in the south are being instructed not to go to work or contact the U.N. if this puts them in danger. There are ongoing discussions related to the U.N. returning to all parts of Iraq with a specific focus on Basra where there have been reports of humanitarian problems or a crisis emerging.

With the conflict now in the second week and showing all signs of intensifying in the days ahead, every concerned functional agency is talking about the unfolding crisis with many agencies looking to or already having hired private contractors for carrying out specific tasks. The U.N. last week put out a flash funding request for about $2.2 billions to meet the immediate contingency.

This is over and above the $10 billions that Mr. Annan has been authorised to use from the oil-for-food programme fund by the Security Council.

This however confines itself to the contracts already processed but put on hold at the time of the outbreak of hostilities on March 20.

To understand the magnitude of the problem, the U.N. is pointing to the fact that the World Food Programme is itself asking for $1.3 billions in the flash funding request so that the food distribution system can be set up in areas where the security conditions would permit.

Attention is also focussed on the environmental impact of the war and this is not merely about the damage to the environment due to the continuous bombing but also about the impact of oil fires set off in the trenches as a result of bombings.

"The black smoke over Baghdad coming from burning oil trenches and fires ignited by bombing contains dangerous chemicals that can be harmful to human health and the environment,'' a spokesman for the United Nations Environmental Programme has said.

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