PRESS BRIEFING BY UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS
Press Briefing
PRESS BRIEFING BY UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS
19970523
FOR INFORMATION OF UNITED NATIONS SECRETARIAT ONLY
Yasushi Akashi, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, this afternoon reported on his recent visit to Iraq, at a press briefing at United Nations Headquarters. He was in the country from 3 to 9 May. During his trip, Mr. Akashi visited Baghdad and the three northern governorates, holding lively discussions with government officials and United Nations colleagues, he said. Talks were held with leaders in Sulaymaniyha and Irbil, as well as with leaders of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdish Democratic Party. He had visited hospitals, warehouses and food distribution sites. Discussions had been held regarding the implementation of Security Council resolution 986 (1995), which permits the sale of Iraqi oil to pay for humanitarian goods, Mr. Akashi said. Iraqi authorities had voiced strong concern about delays in arrival and distribution. He had explained that some of those difficulties had stemmed from lack of funds and personnel, particularly observers. However, the observers were now fully deployed and were being allowed full freedom of movement. Expressing satisfaction with the Organization's efforts, Mr. Akashi said that the new Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, Staffan de Mistura, had injected a new enthusiasm and energy into those activities. Efforts in the southern and northern parts of the country were well coordinated, and over 550,000 tons of foodstuffs had already been delivered. Medical supplies and equipment were also now reaching the country. Mr. Akashi drew attention to the deplorable conditions in which internally displaced persons and people in hospitals, particularly children, were living. He had seen many emaciated children. Hospitals lacked essential medicines and old syringes were being reused. The sight of such suffering made an indelible impression and had been among the issues he reported yesterday to the Security Council. Procedures adopted by the Iraq Sanctions Committee must be expedited, and he would hold further talks with its Chairman to that end. Some of the delays in the arrival of medical supplies had resulted from the fact that medicines were listed by their generic names in the distribution plan but some countries had used commercial or brand names in their application forms, Mr. Akashi said. That had resulted in confusion. Member States were now instructed to fill out those forms in a prescribed manner, which should reduce the number of requests on hold. Many other technical obstacles would also be addressed.
Over $1.5 billion from the sale of oil had been deposited in an escrow account, Mr. Akashi went on to say. Of that amount, 53 per cent would be used for humanitarian supplies in central and southern Iraq and 13 per cent for the three northern governorates. He had assured Iraqi authorities that food purchased with the initial $2 billion would continue to arrive and be distributed even beyond 9 June, which marked the end of the first 180-day period. Upon receiving the Secretary-General's forthcoming report on the first 180 days of the oil-for-food programme, the Council would decide whether to extend it. Asked whether it was a foregone conclusion that the plan would be extended, Mr. Akashi said that was entirely up to the Council. At yesterday's informal meeting, several Council members favoured extending the plan, while others had expressed uncertainty about it. The Council would decide after studying the Secretary-General's report. Asked if he was personally optimistic about the chances of a roll-over, Mr. Akashi said he was optimistic by nature. If everything went well up until 10 June -- and there seemed to be a good, positive momentum -- he would not consider extension of the programme a big surprise. What was his opinion about concerns expressed by the United States regarding operational transparency? a correspondent asked. Mr. Akashi said his office tried to be transparent and answered all inquiries from all delegations. Just two days ago, he had met with Edward Gnehm, Jr. of the United States to explain the challenges his office confronted and the way those challenges were being addressed. Was the Iraqi Government making good faith efforts to distribute food and medical supplies? a correspondent asked. Mr. Akashi said 151 observers had been deployed and they had visited every Iraqi governorate and village without restrictions on their freedom of movement. He said Iraqi officials had been agreeable when he stressed the importance of maintaining an appropriate distance between observers and their Iraqi escorts, so the observers might talk freely with beneficiaries. There had been a few minor incidents in which the Iraqis said that observers had gone beyond their duties as defined in the memorandum of understanding on the implementation of resolution 986, but those misunderstandings had been straightened out, Mr. Akashi added. The observation methodology had been enhanced and there was so far no evidence of discrimination against any group on political, religious or other grounds. Asked again by the same correspondent whether the Government was making a good faith effort to distribute goods equitably, Mr. Akashi said that, on a prima facie basis, one could say the Government was making a good effort to distribute food on an equitable basis.
Akashi Briefing - 3 - 23 May 1997
Although Mr. Akashi had spoken to Mr. Gnehm two days ago, United States Ambassador Bill Richardson had expressed concerns about such aspects of the programme as the distribution of goods in the north and the work of the monitors, a correspondent said. Asked if he could now reassure the United States on those points, Mr. Akashi said he had heard Mr. Richardson's comments and felt they did not contradict the opinions that Mr. Gnehm had expressed. There were problems in the north, where leaders were not satisfied with the distribution process, Mr. Akashi said. There were expectations in the north that economic, educational, social and other problems could be solved through the mechanism of resolution 986. That was not so. The United Nations had been distributing goods in accordance with the plan negotiated with leaders from Baghdad and from the north. It was necessary to have a sharp sense of what goods were needed on a priority basis, Mr. Akashi went on to say. On a per capita basis, nearly 50 per cent more money was being allocated to the north as compared with the south, yet even that did not entirely satisfy northern leaders. For example, they had asked why funds could not be used for university education, or whether wheat could be changed for tomato paste. Mr. Akashi was engaged in dialogue with those leaders, to discuss what was feasible and necessary. Had the programme been affected by the incursion of Turkish elements into Iraq? a correspondent asked. No, the programmes continued, Mr. Akashi said. Only the very northern part of Iraq had been affected by the recent Turkish invasion. The Organization's activities continued and its personnel were not threatened by those recent events. Asked whether the scarcity of medical supplies was attributable to distribution or to a scarcity of funds, Mr. Akashi said they were a result of delays in arrival and distribution. The items in question had been provided for in the distribution plan, and experts from the World Health Organization regularly visited Iraqi hospitals and pharmacies to review their requirements. Asked if he would favour increasing the programme's $2 billion ceiling, Mr. Akashi said that as an international civil servant, he could not answer the question. His job was to harmonize the Council's decision to impose economic sanctions with the need to alleviate their adverse impact on innocent and vulnerable citizens. Similar dilemmas had also been faced in the former Yugoslavia and Burundi. Mr. Akashi said his task was to try to ensure that exemptions from the sanctions regime were granted for those goods most necessary for the well- being of persons who had nothing to do with the governmental actions which had prompted the Council's punitive action. As a humanitarian, he favoured increasing exemptions, but he was not in a position to express his personal views on the matter.
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