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Hello all,
In order to have a positive contribution to the
discussions about figures, I copied the latest statistics about malnutrition.
Looking at these figures, one can see that there is no major improvement, on the
contrary. Don't you think that there is a relation between the situation of
malnutrition and child mortality? I think there is.
This clearly points out that the situation under
the Memory of Understanding has not improved the overall situation of the Iraqi
people. This situation has nothing to do with imported goods being "hoarded". I
mentioned "lack of clear water" as being one of the reasons for the futher
increase of child-mortality. The impossibility for the Iraqi's to rebuild their
economy is another one
The figures also prove that the situation will not
improve substantially, unless economic sanctions are lifted altogether. I
suggest to Rahul to read the brilliant article of Dale Hildebrand about "smart" sanctions. This article can be found at
http://www.cam.ac.uk/societies/casi/info/hildebrand010608.html
these figures are copied from: http://www.unicef.org/iraq/library/join-2/southcenter-frames.htm
I also copied here some facts that Felicity wrote
in her mail of 16/1/2001, where she forwarded the INOC report.
+ Diarrheal water-borne disease are the
"prime killer of children" in Iraq. Congressman Tony Hall visited Iraq in 2000
and wrote: "I share UNICEF's concerns about the profound effects of increasing
deterioration of Iraq's water supply and sanitation systems on its children's
health. The prime killer of children under five years of age - diarrheal
diseases - has reached epidemic proportions and they now strike four times more
often than they did in 1990."
+ The water is unsafe because of our 1991 bombing of civilian infrastructure and ten years of sanctions. "The destruction of the country's power plants had brought [Iraq's] entire system of water purification and distribution to a halt, leading to epidemics of cholera, typhoid fever, and gastroenteritis, particularly among children. ... [T]he destruction of the infrastructure resulted in devastating long-term effects on health." (New England Journal of Medicine, editorial, 4/24/97). Congressman Tony Hall noted: "Holds on contracts [under the UN's Oil-for-Food program] for water and sanitation sector are a prime reason for the increases in sickness and death. ... Of the 18 contracts, all but one hold was placed by the U.S. Government." (www.house.gov/tonyhall/pr149) + The Oil-for-Food program provided Iraq with 33 cents per person per day [in the year 2000] of their own money for all of their needs. "$119.70 is the entire amount that Iraqi civilians got as benefits under the Oil-for-Food program per person per year. ... This is for food, for medicines, for water, for sanitation, for agriculture, for electricity and for education. That is nothing. That is really nothing. So ... each time I say what I say to you now, I get really upset -- on the 5th of December [2000] ... the US Ambassador to the Security Council [went] before the Council and says the US government is satisfied that the oil for food program meets the needs of the Iraqi people. ... I can't comprehend it? (Seattle speech by resigned-in-protest Iraq Humanitarian Aid Coordinator, Hans von Sponeck, 11/9/01). Greetings.
Dirk
Adriaensens. |