Iraq: Emergency Relief Coordinator voices sorrow over death of ICRC staff member, concern for missing NGO staff

(New York: 10 April 2003 ) - In a statement today, Mr. Kenzo Oshima, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator, expressed his sorrow at the news that Mr. Vatche Arslanian, a delegate for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was killed in Baghdad while carrying out his duties on 8 April. He extended his sincere condolences to Mr. Arslanian's family and to the Red Cross as they cope with their terrible loss.

Paying tribute to Mr. Arslanian and the work being done by humanitarian personnel in Iraq, Mr. Oshima said, "Mr. Arslanian's death underscores the dangerous circumstances in which aid workers bring assistance to people in need, and the bravery they exhibit in so doing." Concerned with the plight of all civilians placed at risk by military actions in Iraq, Mr. Oshima called on all parties to the conflict "to strictly abide by their obligations under international law to ensure the safety and security of humanitarian personnel."

Mr. Oshima also noted with concern that two humanitarian personnel from the non-governmental organization (NGO) Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) are missing in Iraq. The statement said that MSF's Head of Office for Iraq, Mr. Francois Calas, and Ibrahim Younis, a logistician, have not been heard from since they disappeared in Baghdad on the evening of 2 April. He called on the parties to the conflict to allow humanitarian workers the freedom of movement necessary for discharging their mandate.

Access to populations in need remains difficult for humanitarian organizations in Iraq as law and order have broken down in many areas of the country. MSF has been forced to suspend its operations and ICRC has just resumed their own after a brief suspension. United Nations humanitarian organization's aid distributions remain very limited, especially in the center and south of the country. The UN remains concerned at the disruption of food, power, and water distribution systems and the threat that poses to civilians.