Save the Children blocked from IRAQ

[oktobergirl]

I feel sick reading this. supplies and food for 40,000 iraqi's and they wont let the plane land?!!!!!!!!

British Aid Plane Prevented from Entering Iraq
Thu Apr 17,12:32 PM ET Add World - Reuters to My Yahoo!


By Kate Holton

LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. forces have refused a Save the Children plane permission to land in northern Iraq (news - web sites) to deliver aid, breaching the Geneva Convention and "costing children their lives," the British aid agency said on Thursday.

Save the Children said in a statement it had been trying for more than a week to land a plane in Arbil carrying enough medical supplies to treat 40,000 people and emergency feeding kits for malnourished children.

A U.S. official told the charity no aid flights would be allowed until the area was safe but the U.N. has already declared Arbil a "safe and secure" area, the charity said.

"The doctors we are trying to help have been struggling against the odds for weeks to continue saving lives, but now the help we have promised them is being endlessly delayed," Emergency Program Manager Rob MacGillivray said.

"The lack of cooperation from the U.S. military is a breach of the Geneva Conventions and its protocols but more importantly the time now being wasted is costing children their lives."

U.S. officials were not immediately available for comment.

Under the Geneva Convention, occupying forces are obliged to protect civilians, restore law and order (news - Y! TV) and open up space for humanitarian relief.

A spokeswoman for Save the Children told Reuters the plane would also carry medical officials. She said the charity had already taken vehicles into Arbil with money for hospitals but they now needed medical supplies.

The charity, who said the hospitals did not have sufficient water or power, also said the staff at one hospital had been forced to combat looters as they continued to work throughout fighting in the city.

Aid officials say Iraq is in desperate need of medical and food deliveries following a month of fighting and years of economic sanctions and misrule.

U.S. war commander General Tommy Franks said on Thursday that law and order was returning to Iraq following a wave of looting and that his forces were now firmly focused on aid and humanitarian operations.

Prior to the U.S.-led attack on Iraq, 60 percent of Iraq's 26 million people depended directly on a U.N.-backed oil-for-food program, which allowed proceeds from Iraq's oil to be used to buy food while the country was under international economic sanctions.

 

[FizzingWhizzbees]

That is disgusting. I'll be interested to hear an explanation for this from whoever is responsible.

 

[verte76]

I agree, this is absolutely disgusting.

 

[oktobergirl]

I mean, come on, we have how many THOUSANDS OF TROOPS in Northern IRAQ? Get them to the landing strip to protect the friggin plane!

This type of thing enfuriates me. Freakin' government!
I agree, I wanna see the explanation for this one.

 

[oktobergirl]

From the Savethechildren.org news updates on their website:


Iraq Children in Crisis Fund

Protect women and children in war and conflict around the world

Support our programs for children around the world

First Congressman to enter Iraq does so with Save the Children?s Help

?If journalists are able to go in, why not the humanitarians??
says Save President

Save the Children relief and child protection experts accompanied Connecticut Congressman Chris Shays (R-CT) on a day-long visit to the Iraq city of Umm Qasr yesterday (April 16) as Save the Children stepped up its efforts to deliver aid to children and their families.

Rep. Shays is the first U.S. Congressman to enter Iraq since the war's end. He traveled from Kuwait City into and out of Iraq as part of a Save the Children convoy.

Save the Children experts told Rep. Shays that they were hopeful of expanding their operations beyond Umm Qasr, but that humanitarian organizations had not been permitted access to most areas of Iraq due to security concerns.

In Umm Qasr, Rep. Shays and Save the Children relief experts met with local civic leaders to discuss the war's humanitarian impact on the port city's residents.

Rep. Shays was told of the need for new child protection programs to help children overcome the trauma of war and get their lives back to normal. At present, many children in the city continue to spend most of their time in the streets.

In addition, residents also noted that there is a growing need for cooking fuel as well as a more equitable and less expensive system to distribute water. At present in many neighborhoods water is accessible only from vendors who charge fees that many families cannot afford.

Rep. Shays praised Save the Children for its on-going work in Umm Qasr which began 11 days ago. Shays, however, expressed concern about the delays many groups like Save the Children have experienced in distributing much-needed aid throughout the country because of insecure conditions.

?I saw a lot of poverty. I saw a lot of bad living conditions,? Rep. Shays told the Associated Press. ?I just wish other members of Congress had seen what I got to see.?

Save the Children has been working in a number of neighborhoods in Umm Qasr to set up a distribution system for cooking fuel. The agency is hopeful deliveries can begin by the middle of next week.

Save the Children experts said most resident have enough food to last several more weeks as a result of stockpiles created by the U.N. Oil for Food program prior to the war.

Save the Children plans to visit Basra, the nation?s second largest on Saturday, if security issues can be resolved. The agency plans to set up a regional office in Basra as it expands its operations into four provinces in southern Iraq with a total population of 5 million.

?We have every reason to believe that children and families are facing very tough times,? Charles MacCormack, president of Save the Children, told the Associated Press. ?I can?t speak for the military people. They have a job to do and they don?t want to create any unnecessary risks. But if journalists are able to go in, why not the humanitarians.?

 

[FizzingWhizzbees]

Did Save the Children suggest anything people can do to help? Maybe lobbying public officials or something?

 

[sulawesigirl4]

Does this make anyone else suspicious of calling the motives for this war "humanitarian" when it is so obviously a low priority?

 

[sharky]

The charity, who said the hospitals did not have sufficient water or power, also said the staff at one hospital had been forced to combat looters as they continued to work throughout fighting in the city.

This is probably your answer. If the US military can't control looting [which has been proven] then this aid should not be sent in yet. Like all of you, I want this aid to get there. But you can't help people if you're worrying about supplies being looted. And if those supplies can help sick people, why would want to waste one needle or one bottle of pills because someone steals it? And as it says above, there is still fighting in the city.

The aid needs to get there, the US needs to secure that area and crack down on the looting, but we all know that hasn't been successful yet.

 

[Scarletwine]

That is in other areas, not where they want to land the plane. Also they haven't been able to get to Basra with aid and the British have it under control and are even pulling out troops.
This war is such a farce, I'm sickened and disgusted by the admin.
Two years can't be up fast enough.

edited to say
They need more time to tidy up before outsiders are allowed in. And I don't care if anyone flames me, YES I really think that. I've seen the pictures of plows on the front of tanks in Desert I.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

US and UK forces are allowing aid to enter through the southern ports... the north isn't secure yet, so obviously they don't want anyone comming in from the north. people... this is a WAR ZONE. Not the safest place to be. Humanitarian aid is already flowing in from Umm Qasr. Once the north is under complete control, and safe, they'll let the aid come in from the north too. The last thing anyone needs is a bunch of dead charity workers because they were let in too soon. Give it time... within a week or two there will be aid flowing throughout Iraq.

 

[FizzingWhizzbees]

Originally posted by Headache in a Suitcase
Give it time

That's very easy for us in wealthy Western countries to say...sadly it's a little different for people in Iraq who right now don't even have clean drinking water, let alone food, healthcare or any kind of security.

 

[verte76]

Actually some aid workers are already in Kirkuk. Hopefully they'll have everything the people need soon. These people need help ASAP.

 

[sharky]

That's very easy for us in wealthy Western countries to say...sadly it's a little different for people in Iraq who right now don't even have clean drinking water, let alone food, healthcare or any kind of security.

Ya know, a similar thing was said to a friend of mine on a boat in the Amazon. He asked his guide why they were burning the forests -- didn't they know that was bad for the environment? and his guide said "That's for first world nations to worry about."

Its easy to look outside your window and your street is safe but don't assume that because your street is safe, a street in Iraq is safe. They may not be fighting but what if that plane is shot at by rebels before it reaches its destination? Do you think we have control of all the land they will be flying over? What about the airport? Are you sure where they are landing is not filled with mines? Headache is right -- this is still a war zone.

Scarlet, if you reread the story the spokesperson is in fact talking about what the volunteers who are in Arbil are seeing. And that's where they want to send more supplies.

 

[verte76]

Sharky, I see your point. You're right, we don't want the aid supplies to be looted or the workers mugged. That would be *really* bad news. Some aid has entered the country; not all of it has. The sooner it's there the better; I think some of the aid workers were a bit frustrated because the military wanted to administer the distribution of aid. That's not what the military is trained for, properly speaking. This is frustrating news to those of us who work for humanitarian organizations anywhere. But it doesn't mean we want to see workers hurt or supplies ripped off. It's a balancing act, I guess.

 

[oktobergirl]

No, I don't agree with any of this. This is a LOT of aid. We have almost 100,000 troops in Iraq,no?

if military planes are landing they should be able to provide a safe escort for the STC plan to land there as well. AND the troops should be able to provide a way for us to get the AID where it needs to go.

The Geneva Convention says this is what we do. So let's DO IT. The Saddam regime is over. Sure, there's still looting and many parts of IRAQ are still a war zone. But the military has shown they have gone in to any part of IRAQ fairly successfully. We'll load the damn trucks up with aid supplies and food and send them in.

There's too much bureaucracy going on and I"m getting more and more pissed off.

We are there for a reason. They need to get the job done. Help the people.

 

[verte76]

I agree that there is too much bureaucracy. The aid agencies are complaining about the military being in charge of the aid distribution. This is screwy. Aid workers are used to being in situations that are somewhat risky. Unfortunately a worker was actually killed in Afghanistan. But the workers didn't pull out after the killing occurred. If the government can guard oil they can guard aid. They are saying they can't guard aid when, in fact, they can. They said the exact same thing about the antiquities museum. That's a whole different can of worms, but it's the same idea. They could have guarded that stuff also.

 

[oktobergirl]

You know, I can't speak for them, but with the current situation in IRAQ somehow I highly doubt they would resist miliary involvement in aid distribution at this time.

I do understand thier point , but how else are you going to get aid to people in IRAQ unless you do it through those means. It's really not safe otherwise.

 

[Dreadsox]

I love how this article slams the US. The UN has decided it is safe? Interesting, I did not know the UN helped liberate the country. They have troops their helping to keep the peace that I am not aware of? Here is an interesting article, in which the Save the Children (US) seems pretty confident that there will be progress in the efforts to help Iraq.

Westport-based Save the Children still trying to get supplies to Iraqis

By David Gurliacci
Special Correspondent

April 18, 2003


WESTPORT -- U.S. and British military officials haven't given permission for relief agencies to enter most of Iraq, but that logjam may break soon, said Charles MacCormack, president of Save the Children.

Based on what he's hearing from people in Iraq, MacCormack hopes some of international charity's relief workers will be allowed into the southern Iraqi city of Basra tomorrow to start assessing needs and providing help to residents in need of clean water, medical supplies and other services.

Relief workers in the field "are still hopeful that, perhaps even today, they might be able to do that, but they haven't yet," MacCormack said yesterday. "We've got the people, and we've got the materials, and we know there are children in need of getting services -- and we just want to accomplish it."

U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Bridgeport, shed some publicity on the problem Wednesday when he traveled just over the Kuwaiti border into the Iraq port of Umm Qasr, against the wishes of U.S. military and State Department officials, then complained that aid workers haven't been allowed further into the country.

Shays, already touring the Middle East, had arranged his Iraq visit through Westport-based Save the Children, whose national headquarters are in his district.

While MacCormack offered only mild criticism of the U.S. government, which has paid his group $4 million for relief efforts in Iraq, Save the Children UK, an independent "sister" organization, offered a scathing assessment.

The British group issued a blistering statement yesterday condemning U.S. officials for not allowing the landing of a plane carrying medical supplies into the northern city of Erbil.

"The lack of cooperation from the U.S. military is a breach of the Geneva Conventions and its protocols, but more importantly, the time now being wasted is costing children their lives," said Rob MacGillivray, emergency program manager for Save the Children UK.

MacCormack said he was unfamiliar with the situation in Erbil, but, referring to the holdup in getting his own workers further into Iraq, he said, "I'm sure there are security concerns (on the part of military officials). I don't think there's anything more to it than that. I think they want to be very confident that things are on the strong and positive side of security."

But he said the concern may be misplaced. "We're accustomed to working in difficult areas, so we're just not going to have perfect security in Iraq, perhaps for a long time to come, anyway."

Providing help to needy people, even in volatile areas where anti-American feeling may be present, is not unfamiliar territory for Save the Children.

Even in places such as Lebanon and the West Bank, "people are happy to have people from an independent organization making sure children and families are being taken care of," he said.

Some small cities where Save the Children hopes to start working are Najaf and Karbala, where Shiite religious factions have been fighting with each other.

In tense situations such as that, Save the Children approaches all sides and asks each for support to allow it to work as a neutral party providing aid, MacCormack said.

Save the Children relief workers go into a new area only after local leaders provide assurances that they won't attack the workers, he said. In Umm Qasr, he said, relief workers "have not felt any hostility."

So far, Save the Children has set up operations in an empty warehouse in Umm Qasr, a port of about 30,000 people. The "office" there consists of two or three satellite phones, some battery-powered computers, camping lanterns, water pumps and an electricity generator, MacCormack said.

The organization has 15 people in and out of the country daily, but only five to 10 of them stay overnight, he said.

"Water and security are the two most pressing needs we find consistently with all the people we talk to," MacCormack said.

Food supplies also are starting to get low, he said. Various groups are splitting up the job of providing help. Save the Children is providing residents in and around Umm Qasr with propane gas for cooking and water. Recreational activities for children also will be provided.

Ultimately, Save the Children expects to have 500 people providing relief in Baghdad and four southern Iraqi provinces, including Basra, Najaf, and Karbala.

All but 20 of those workers will be Iraqis hired within the country, and even many of the 20 non-Iraqis will be from other Arab countries, MacCormack said.

The group will provide food, water, medical supplies and even sanitation equipment. Counseling and some day-care services for children also will be provided. Most relief agencies expected a major refugee problem in Iraq, but that hasn't developed, so items such as tents will be saved. Other items can still be used, MacCormack said.

Save the Children is asking the public for contributions to its Iraq Children in Crisis Fund. The goal for the fund is $3 million, but an April 11 posting on the group's Web site said only $31,000 has been raised. MacCormack said he's hopeful, and with government and perhaps other contributions, the group hopes to spend as much as $30 million in Iraq.

-- Information about Save the Children's Iraq Children in Crisis Fund is available on the Internet at www.savethechildren.org.
Copyright ? 2003, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.

 

[STING2]

I find it strange that everyone here that is complaining about the supply problems did not want to invade Iraq in the first place. It did not matter that the humanitarian nightmare that many Iraqi people are suffering today is one that they have been suffering for years. The Anti-war crowd was more interested a month ago in sending ineffective inspectors on a wild goose chase for the next 6 months, rather than overthrowing Saddam so that Iraq could be disarmed and humanitarian supplies could be effectively distributed to all parts of Iraq.

Nation Building is going to be a mess. Guess what, there are going to be more mistakes 6 months and a year from now. The sky is falling crowd will make their statements at those points as well I'm sure. Its amazing the level of attention that some will pay to the lives of Iraqi's now that Saddam is gone. But when Saddam was in power and things were worse for many people, it really did not matter. It was more important to prolong that suffering by preventing a US invasion and sending UN inspectors for another 6 months or longer. Anything to prevent a war that would result in the overthrow of Saddam and the liberation of the Iraqi people and the free distribution of humanitarian supplies to all parts of Iraq.

 

[verte76]

Sting--I understand that the humanitarian situation in Saddam's Iraq was not exactly perfect. Saddam screwed alot of people out of aid. Even so, democracy is not just the absense of Saddam, although that's a factor. I tried to keep an open mind about the conflict because I didn't want to whitewash Saddam. In the end it has to be a government for and by Iraqis for Iraqis, not a U.S. protectorate, which is basically what it is now. The mission isn't over. It only will be when native Iraqis are exercising power over their national institutions and following their traditions in running the government. Yes, it's going to be hard, sometimes dirty, work. And at any rate you can't expect "nation-building" not to be controversial. That's part of the territory.