- Title: SWITZERLAND: RED CROSS WARN AGAINST EXECUTING PRISONERS OF WAR IN AFGHANISTAN.
- Date: 27th November 2001
- Summary: (U5) GENEVA, SWITZERLAND (NOVEMBER 27, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. WIDE OF NEWS CONFERENCE WITH INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS (ICRC) DIRECTOR-GENERAL PAUL GROSSRIEDER AND WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION (WHO) DIRECTOR-GENERAL GRO HARLEM BRUNDTLAND 2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ICRC DIRECTOR-GENERAL PAUL GROSSRIEDER SAYING: "Well you know, I didn't see exactly the whole of the declaration of the minister of defense of the United States (Donald Rumsfeld) but all I know is that prisoners in a combat, in a conflict, the captured people, should be kept as prisoners and not killed. This is a general basic rule of international humanitarian law and also a basic principle of humanity." ASKED IF ANY INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN TO, FOR EXAMPLE, THE U.S. TROOPS TO KILL ON SIGHT WOULD BE CONTRARY TO THE GENEVA CONVENTION, GROSSRIEDER SAYS: "Yes." 3. JOURNALIST SPEAKING TO GROSSRIEDER 4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) GROSSRIEDER SAYING: "What we know is that a certain number of people inside this castle have been killed, this we do know but we do not know exactly how many. We know that we have been able, on our own, to evacuate a few wounded, as others could also. I think that in total, one hundred wounded people could be evacuated. Right now I don't know, but a few hours ago it was still quite confused." ASKED IF HE KNOWS HOW MANY PEOPLE DIED IN THE CONFRONTATION, GROSSRIEDER SAYS: "No I do not know, but I think it might have been several hundred." 5. JOURNALIST SPEAKING TO GROSSRIEDER 6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) GROSSRIEDER SAYING: "What we hope is that a new, clear and peaceful situation will be able to emerge from this meeting so that Afghanistan could recover, all its normal state of life and normal conditions of life." 7. GROSSRIEDER SPEAKING TO JOURNALIST Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 12th December 2001 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
- Country: Switzerland
- Reuters ID: LVA2BKPG83GN03JDT53PZWWVGH0V
- Story Text: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has
warned that any kill on sight order to U.S. troops hunting
Osama bin Laden and his closest aids in Afghanistan would
violate humanitarian law.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
warned on Tuesday (November 27) that any people captured must
be kept as prisoners and not killed.
"...all I know is that prisoners in a combat, in a
conflict, the captured people, should be kept as prisoners and
not killed. This is a general basic rule of international
humanitarian law and also a basic principle of humanity," ICRC
Director-General Paul Grossrieder told a news conference on
Tuesday.
Grossrieder said that the ICRC had evacuated around 100
wounded from a prison in the northern town of Mazar-i-Sharif
where forces loyal to Afghanistan's former Taliban rulers
staged a bloody revolt on Sunday.
"We know that we have been able, on our own, to evacuate a
few wounded, as others could also. I think that in total, one
hundred wounded people could be evacuated. Right now I don't
know, but a few hours ago it was still quite confused," he
said.
He added that he had no clear figure for the death toll
from the revolt led by chief suspect in the September 11
attack, Osama bin Laden's, al Qaeda network and which the
anti-Taliban Northern Alliance said was finally quashed on
Tuesday.
"What we know is that a certain number of people inside
this castle have been killed, this we do know but we do not
know exactly how many," he said.
Grossrieder added that he hopes a new, clear and peaceful
situation would emerge from the meeting in Bonn, which began
on Tuesday, so that Afghanistan could recover.
Thirty eight delegates from four anti-Taliban Afghan
groups began closed-door United Nations-sponsored talks on
Tuesday (November 27).
Diplomats hope the talks in the secluded hilltop hotel in
Bonn could set up an interim Afghan leadership council of
about 15 people -- akin to a cabinet -- and a larger group of
more than 100 people acting as a sort of parliament before
elections are held later.
The talks, expected to last to the end of this week or
longer, includes international representatives on the
sidelines urging the delegates to find a solution to overcome
23 years of war in Afghanistan.
(rb/cr)
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