106 UNITED NATIONS HUMANITARIAN STAFF IN BAGHDAD TEMPORARILY RELOCATED TO AMMAN, JORDAN
Press Release
SG/SM/6845
IK/268
106 UNITED NATIONS HUMANITARIAN STAFF IN BAGHDAD TEMPORARILY RELOCATED TO AMMAN, JORDAN
19981218 The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:Due to the prevailing situation in Iraq, 106 United Nations staff members with the humanitarian programme left Baghdad by road early this morning for Amman, Jordan, for temporary relocation. For the past few days, all United Nations personnel were staying at the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, where the office of the United Nations office is located.
The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General, Prakash Shah, and the Humanitarian Coordinator, Hans von Sponeck, remain in Baghdad along with 26 United Nations personnel, including representatives of the United Nations agencies and programmes. In addition, the programme employs 578 national staff in the centre and south of Iraq.
The humanitarian programme in the three northern governorates, which is implemented by the United Nations, on behalf of the Government of Iraq, continues its operations without interruption. There are 232 international and 880 national United Nations personnel working with the programme in the three northern governorates.
The United Nations remains fully committed to implementation of the "oil-for-food" programme and expresses the hope that all those relocated temporarily will soon resume their duties in Iraq.
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