Posted on 10/27/2003 7:37:15 PM PST by TexKat
WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Secretary of State Colin Powell appealed for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and other agencies not to pull out of Iraq, saying their work was needed and their departure would be victory for "terrorists."
Powell said he understood the legitimate security concerns of the ICRC, the United Nations, contractors and various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) who have withdrawn foreign staff from Iraq because of an increase in attacks, but urged them to work with US authorities to find a way to stay.
"It's of concern to us," he told reporters after the ICRC announced it would remove its foreign workers from Baghdad following a spate of deadly suicide car bombings that hit the Iraqi capital earlier Monday, including its headquarters.
"We hope that contractors, NGOS and the ICRC and the UN will make a considered assessment of their security situation and hope they can find it appropriate to stay," Powell said.
"They are needed, their work is needed and if they are driven out then the terrorists win," he said after meeting at the State Department with Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates.
Powell allowed that the agencies "have to balance that desire to do the job and stay with their security needs" but called on them to seek the assistance of Paul Bremer, the head of the US occupation authority, and General Ricardo Sanchez, the commander of US forces in Iraq.
"I hope that they are in close contact with Ambassador Bremer and General Sanchez and our authorities in the region to see what can be done -- not necessarily to provide a direct protection, but to provide them a safe environment in which to work," he said.
The ICRC said it would pull its foreign staff out of Baghdad after the bombing of its office which killed two of its employees and 10 others.
But the organization, which has some 35 foreign staff in Iraq and 800 Iraqi workers, would continue not to ask for military protection from the United States.
The bombing at the ICRC office was one of several almost simultaneous attacks across Baghdad that left 42 people dead and more than 200 injured.
The attack on the ICRC was reminiscent of a similar suicide bombing on the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, which killed 22 people on August 19, including Annan's top envoy for Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello.
Powell acknowledged that Monday's bombings, which followed the shelling on Sunday of the Baghdad hotel where US officials reside, had been bad for morale, but vowed that the United States would stay the course in Iraq.
"Today was a difficult day and the last 24 hours have been very difficult," he said. "It's been a bad 24 hours but ... there are a lot of good things going on.
"We're going ahead with our reconstruction plans and efforts," Powell said.
In that I agree. I have never been in the military, have no experience in carrying out a war, but my common sense tells me that why repair, reconstruct something if you have any thought that your enemy is going to come right behind you and sabatoge it. I would think that you would do away with the sabatoger/s first. Not only may lives be saved but also money. Actually my thoughts May 1, 2003 was that it was too soon to pull the number of military and military equipment out of Iraq that we did was the wrong move. With almost no resistance in Tikrit and other Northern Iraq cities made me go ummmmm. And especially since Iraq is the stage for the war on terror. Just my thoughts and like I said I have never been in the military. So what do I know.
However as far as the ICRC and the UN in Iraq, how can you protect agencies that request that they do not want your presence and wants to distance themselves from you?
Bad move by the ICRC. It seems they are more concerned about saving face than saving Iraqi's.
(thanks for the ping)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.