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Below are select quotes from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) regarding economic sanctions on Iraq, Iraqi civilians' vulnerabilities, and a potential war's consequences for Iraqi civilians. The ICRC has been present in Iraq since Iraq invaded Iran in 1980. "Since mid-1999, the organization has placed particular emphasis on assistance activities to help the civilian population, which faces a growing struggle for survival." ICRC Iraq Page: http://www.icrc.org/Web/Eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/iraq?OpenDocument Source: International Committee of the Red Cross, "What is the ICRC Position Concerning the War Looming on Iraq?", 21 February 2003, http://www.icrc.org/Web/Eng/siteeng0.nsf/iwpList322/D8482D9515D838EBC1256CD4005B6B3A Excerpt: [begin] For the past two decades, Iraqis have been suffering from the impact of two wars and of UN sanctions. Standards of living in Iraq are getting ever worse. The country's infrastructure is deteriorating and most of the essential needs of the population such as clean water, food and drugs are hardly covered. The majority of Iraq's people depend largely on food aid distributions and other humanitarian assistance to make ends meet. This extremely vulnerable population has few resources to enable it to cope with another armed conflict. The human cost of renewed conflict could therefore be disastrous. [end] Source: International Committee of the Red Cross, "Spotlight: Decades of Helping in Iraq", 14 February 2003, http://www.icrc.org/Web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/iwpList322/06F814257D6F6B65C1256CCD00531211 Excerpt: [begin] Since 1991 international trade sanctions have had grave consequences for the Iraqi economy and have led to an overall deterioration of the basic infrastructure of the country. The "Oil for Food" programme introduced by UN Resolution 986 in 1995 has not prevented the collapse of the health system and of other essential infrastructure such as the water supply, which together pose one of the gravest threats to the health and well being of the civilian population. While the ICRC has done everything possible to repair the damage and restore at least basic services, it is conscious that aid alone is not enough to put the country to rights. [end] Source: International Committee of the Red Cross, "The ICRC in Iraq – Fighting Despair and Disintegration", 24 December 2002, http://www.icrc.org/Web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/iwpList322/E59B9579322207AB41256C9900411B81 Excerpt: [begin] Public infrastructure in Iraq continues to disintegrate after years of neglect, due to a lack of funds for maintenance and repair and a shortage of spare parts and of qualified staff. [end] _________________________________________________________________ STOP MORE SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail _______________________________________________ Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk