SECRETARY-GENERAL PRAISES 'TIRELESS WORK' OF CIVILIAN HUMANITARIAN STAFF IN RESPONSE TO KOSOVO CRISIS
Press Release
SG/SM/7006
SECRETARY-GENERAL PRAISES 'TIRELESS WORK' OF CIVILIAN HUMANITARIAN STAFF IN RESPONSE TO KOSOVO CRISIS
19990526 The following statement by Secretary-General Kofi Annan was issued today by his Spokesman:Following my visits to the refugee camps in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Albania, I wish to express my deep appreciation for the tireless work of the many civilian staff of United Nations agencies, the Red Cross movement, and non-governmental organizations, in mounting an immediate response to the humanitarian emergency caused by the Kosovo crisis. I also thank the military personnel of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance for their considerable support, without which we could not have coped.
I have discussed with NATO Secretary-General Solana the necessity of respecting the distinction between humanitarian action and military activities. If these lines are blurred, there is a grave risk of irreparable damage to the principle of impartiality of humanitarian assistance. Humanitarian work must be led and coordinated by civilians.
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