IRAQ Amnesty International says governments must protect civilian life

* News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty
International *
News Service: 249/98
AI INDEX: MDE 14/07/98
17 DECEMBER 1998
Amnesty International is gravely concerned at the potential
indiscriminate killings of civilians in Iraq, in the context of the
present military operations by the US and UK forces.
According to reports, around 30 people were killed and 100 others
wounded, some seriously, during the attack on Baghdad which started on
Wednesday at 2200 GMT. Last night 10 missiles are reported to have
fallen on residential areas of the city, destroying a number of houses.
Iran said that a US missile struck the city of Khoramshahr, near the
border with Iraq, early on Thursday. No casualties were reported.
In June 1997, a US General Accounting Office report entitled "Operation
Desert Storm -evaluation of the air campaign" stated that "many of the
Department of Defence's and Manufacturers' postwar claims about weapon
system performance - particularly the F117, Tomahawk land attack missile
and laser guided bombs -- were overstated, misleading, inconsistent with
the best available data, or unverifiable."
"The experience of previous armed interventions in the Gulf has shown
that, all too often, civilians become the acceptable casualties of war",
Amnesty International said, adding that on 16 December the organization
warned that "imminent military attacks by US and UK forces could lead to
indiscriminate or disproportionate killings of civilians".
Noting reports that a wheat storage house in Tekrit, north of Baghdad,
is said to have been burnt by missiles, the human rights organization
has reminded the US and UK governements of the general prohibition in
international humanitarian law to attack objects indispensable to the
survival of the civilian population.
Amnesty International is also concerned about the closure by Jordan,
Syria and Turkey of their border with Iraq which would prevent people
fleeing the attacks from seeking safety in these countries. Amnesty
International calls on all neighbouring countries to guarantee the right
to protection in another country for refugees fleeing when their life,
safety and security are at risk.
The human rights organization reiterates that the international
community has an obligation to provide all necessary assistance to
ensure that the responsibility of dealing with refugees is shared by all
states and does not fall disproportionately on those geographically
close to Iraq.
ENDS.../
Amnesty International, International Secretariat, 1 Easton Street,
WC1X 8DJ, London, United Kingdom
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IRAQ Amnesty International says governments must protect civilian life
