IRAQ: IRAQI PEOPLE STILL FEEL THE EFFECTS OF SANCTIONS IMPOSED AFTER IRAQ'S DEFEAT IN THE 1991 GULF WAR
Record ID:
648366
IRAQ: IRAQI PEOPLE STILL FEEL THE EFFECTS OF SANCTIONS IMPOSED AFTER IRAQ'S DEFEAT IN THE 1991 GULF WAR
- Title: IRAQ: IRAQI PEOPLE STILL FEEL THE EFFECTS OF SANCTIONS IMPOSED AFTER IRAQ'S DEFEAT IN THE 1991 GULF WAR
- Date: 24th February 2001
- Summary: BAGHDAD, IRAQ (FEBRUARY 24, 2001) (REUTERS -ACCESS ALL) 1. SLV JAMILA MARKET, MAIN MARKET FOR FOOD 0.06 2. MCU WOMAN CARRYING A TRAY OF EGGS 0.09 3. SLV CAR LADEN WITH FLOUR 0.13 4. SLV BOY CARRYING FLOUR 0.18 5. SV SHOPKEEPER WEIGHING FLOUR 0.26 6. MCU CITIZEN TAKING HIS MONTHLY RATION 0.30 7. MCU (Arabic) AMAD NASSER, SHOPKEEPER SAYING: "We hope that the embargo would be lifted so that the sufferings of the Iraqi people be eased." 0.41 8. SV HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN 0.44 9. SLV SICK CHILDREN IN A WARD, DOCTOR TREATING SICK CHILDREN 0.47 10. SV FATHER CARRYING HIS SICK CHILD 0.52 11. CU SICK CHILD WITH BREATHING MASK ON 0.56 12. SV TWO NURSES TREATING A SICK CHILD 1.00 13. MCU (English) BASSIM ATALLAH SAYING: "In addition to malnutrition, deficiency of drugs, deficiency of the early diagnosis of the diseases, so some patients not diagnosed early, so the treatment is difficult because we have no enough facilities to diagnose most of diseases early." 1.19 14. SLV TWO NURSES WALKING INSIDE THE WARD 1.24 15. MCU (English) MOHAMMED SALEH, TRADE MINISTER SAYING: "The sanctions imposed on Iraq has to be lifted completely, and it is becoming unacceptable internationally." 1.37 16. MCU (English) BAHNAM ABU AS-SOUF, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT SAYING: "The sanctions of course now 11 years continuing on Iraq and Iraqi people are suffering and Iraqi children are mostly suffering because of the lack of medicine and the world public opinion should gather together and stop this crime of the America and Britain by the name of the United Nations." 2.08 17. SV UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS 2.11 18. MCU (ENGLISH) GEORGE SOMERWELL, U.N HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR SPOKESMAN SAYING: "Sanctions in general, economic sanctions, of course tend to target a whole country, a society is affected by those sanctions a whole society, including people who are rich people or poor, smart sanctions, I believe are aimed or would be aimed at elements within a society, maybe people who are already rich or people who need to travel, that is the way the smart sanctions will work. Basically it means to target specific people or groups within a society rather than to target a general society." 2.52 19. MCU JOURNALIST 2.56 20. MCU (English)SOMERWELL SAYING: "The other sectors, for example agriculture, education, irrigation, water and sanitation. That has not been running with so much money for such a long time That has only been going for two years. We still have a bit of learning to do and really a lot of work still needs to be done in those sectors." 3.28 21. SV NEWSPAPER STAND 3.33 22. CU NEWSPAPER HEADLINE READING: "PRESIDENT SADDAM HUSSEIN PRESIDING OVER A MEETING DEALING WITH SOME POLITICAL ISSUES" 3.37 23. CU ANOTHER HEADLINE READING; "ARAB AND WORLD RAGE ESCALATES CONDEMNING THE AGGRESSION." 3.40 24. SV OF NEWSPAPER STAND 3.44 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 11th March 2001 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: BAGHDAD, IRAQ
- Country: Iraq
- Reuters ID: LVA13V0CCDCDZ419M1015JVXB2H0
- Story Text: More than ten years have elapsed since the 1991 Gulf War
ended, and the Iraqi people are still feeling the effects of
sanctions imposed after Iraq's defeat in that war.
Iraq says that more than one and a half million Iraqis,
most of them children and elderly people have died due to an
acute shortage of food and medicine.
Iraq has repeatedly called for an immediate and total
lifting of the sanctions, saying it has fulfilled its
obligations in eliminating projects to build weapons of mass
destruction.
The United Nations says Baghdad must allow weapons
inspectors back before the embargo is lifted.
"We hope that the embargo would be lifted so that the
sufferings of the Iraqi people be eased," shopkeeper Amad
Nasser said.
Dr. Bassim Atallah explained the difficulties doctors
faced in treating patients, saying "In addition to
malnutrition, deficiency of drugs, deficiency of the early
diagnosis of the diseases, so some patients are not diagnosed
early, so the treatment is difficult because we have no enough
facilities to diagnose most of diseases early," he said
Trade Minister Mohammed Mehdi Saleh said, "The sanctions
imposed on Iraq has to be lifted completely, and it is
becoming unacceptable internationally."
Bahnam Abu as-Souf, one of a group of Iraqi members of
parliament who marched in one of the Baghdad main streets
protesting against the visit of U.S. Secretary of State Colin
Powell to the region said, "The sanctions of course now 11
years continuing on Iraq and Iraqi people are suffering and
Iraqi children are mostly suffering because of the lack of
medicine and the world public opinion should gather together
and stop this crime of the America and Britain by the name of
the United Nations."
George Somerwell, Head of Information for the United
Nations Office of the Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq
(UNOHCI) commented on the sanctions saying, "Sanctions in
general, economic sanctions, of course tend to target a whole
country, a society is affected by those sanctions a whole
society, including people who are rich people or poor.
He said "smart sanctions" would be an alternative that
would target the well off only. He said, "Smart sanctions, I
believe are aimed or would be aimed at elements within a
society, maybe people who are already rich or people who need
to travel, that is the way the smart sanctions will work,
basically it means to target specific people or groups within
a society rather than to target a general society."
Somerwell said the U.N. oil-for-food programme for Iraq is
continuing without interruption despite U.S. and British air
raids around Baghdad last week.
The programme was set up in 1996 to ease the suffering of
Iraqis under stringent U.N. sanctions imposed to punish
Baghdad for its 1990 invasion of Kuwait.
But Somerville acknowledged some shortcomings in the
programme, especially in the areas of agriculture, education,
water and sanitation.
"In the case of food and medicine, we've been working for
four and a half years....We've learned how to do it and that
has definitely improved the situation for the Iraqi people,"
he said.
"The other sectors, for example agriculture, education,
irrigation, water and sanitation. That has not been running
with so much money for such a long time That has only been
going for two years. We still have a bit of learning to do and
really a lot of work still needs to be done in those sectors."
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