24 March 2003
Coalition Aid to Iraqi People Ready to Move, U.S. Says
(State Department Report, March 24: Aid, Turkey, Russian sales) (860) By Jane Morse Washington File Staff Writer Washington -- The United States and its coalition partners are prepared to provide a wide range of humanitarian assistance to Iraqis once security is established in the country, says State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher. "Based on our best information, there is not what you would call a 'humanitarian crisis' in Iraq at this time," Boucher said at the March 24 State Department daily press briefing. He said there is no evidence of significant flows of internally displaced people. Huge stockpiles of food, medical and shelter supplies have been prepositioned in the region, ready to go into Iraq once areas are militarily secured and mine-clearing operations in the ports are complete, Boucher said. Disaster assistance response teams will soon follow to begin operations for ongoing humanitarian efforts and reconstruction, he said. According to Boucher, the United States is also seeking to have the United Nations oil-for-food program adjusted, with the authority of the U.N. secretary general established so that he can administer the program. The oil-for-food program allows Iraq to sell limited quantities of oil and use the proceeds for humanitarian relief. It is estimated that 60 percent of Iraq's population depends on these funds. Boucher noted that Saddam Hussein often did not spend oil-for-food funds for the benefit of his people. Oil-for-food funds will not affect immediate humanitarian aid programs planned for Iraqis, the spokesman said. The United States has also been working with Iraqis around the world on how the government of liberated Iraq should be organized, Boucher said. "We've made it clear that we think the future of Iraq needs to be determined by Iraqis both inside and outside Iraq," the spokesman said. The hope is that Iraqis will be able to work with the international community and the United Nations in rebuilding their country, he said, and that the Arab world will also play an important role. "We've stayed in close consultations with our friends in the Arab world regarding the military conflict in Iraq and the efforts to achieve Iraqi disarmament," the spokesman said. "It is hope that the Arab League discussion will be constructive, that they'll focus on how the Arab world can help the Iraqi people to create the conditions for rapid transition to representative self-government." Boucher said the United States expects that Turkish troops will not enter Iraq. "We oppose military actions that are not fully coordinated with the coalition," he said. "We remain opposed to unilateral action by any party in northern Iraq; that's a position we've also made clear to Kurdish groups." U.S. diplomats are in ongoing discussions with the Turkish leadership regarding Turkey's concerns over issues such as terrorism, a possible influx of refugees, and efforts to keep the border area as calm as possible, Boucher said. "We believe strongly that the current circumstances do not warrant any intervention by Turkish forces, and we expect all parties to be involved, to be responsive to our concerns," Boucher said. He noted that the Turkish government has said its forces have not entered Iraq. Boucher also discussed U.S. concerns about Russian sales of sensitive military equipment to Iraq. Such sales, he said, are "being carried out by firms, by entities, in Russia, and we're looking for oversight by the Russian government and interdiction as well as information on what might have happened in the past." U.S. officials have been initiating talks with the Russian government for almost a year, the spokesman said. "The response so far has not been satisfactory," he said. "We hope that the responsible Russian agencies will take our concerns seriously." Boucher noted that U.N. sanctions currently in force prohibit the sale of military items to Iraq. On the question of prisoners of war (POWs), Boucher said that there are now some 2,000 Iraqis in American custody. "We are treating them humanely and giving them food, water, shelter," he said. Boucher said the United States expects the Iraqi military to treat coalition prisoners equally well, and he expressed outrage that the Iraqis are violating the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War in their treatment of U.S. prisoners. He noted that the Geneva Convention requires that POWs must be treated humanely at all times and protected from intimidation, torture and other acts of violence. It also prevents POWs from being subjected to "insult and public curiosity," the spokesman said. He said televised footage of American POWs aired on Iraqi government television showed the prisoners subjected "intense scrutiny, if not interrogation." Boucher rejected any comparison between the Iraqi footage and "incidental pictures that some network may have taken as people were turning themselves over to U.S. forces." The Iraqi footage he said, "is a government attempt to use these prisoners for propaganda purposes." He added: "We certainly don't think that television stations should hold them (U.S. prisoners) to the kind of scrutiny that you saw on Iraqi TV." (The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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