British Aid Plane Prevented From Entering Iraq

Reuters/Yahoo ^ | 4-17-2003 | Kate Holton

[blam]

British Aid Plane Prevented from Entering Iraq

$-17-2003, Reuters

By Kate Holton

LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. forces have refused a Save the Children plane permission to land in northern Iraq to deliver aid, breaching the Geneva Convention and "costing children their lives," the British aid agency said on Thursday.

Save the Children said in a statement it had been trying for more than a week to land a plane in Arbil carrying enough medical supplies to treat 40,000 people and emergency feeding kits for malnourished children.

A U.S. official told the charity no aid flights would be allowed until the area was safe but the U.N. has already declared Arbil a "safe and secure" area, the charity said.

"The doctors we are trying to help have been struggling against the odds for weeks to continue saving lives, but now the help we have promised them is being endlessly delayed," Emergency Program Manager Rob MacGillivray said.

"The lack of cooperation from the U.S. military is a breach of the Geneva Conventions and its protocols but more importantly the time now being wasted is costing children their lives."

U.S. officials were not immediately available for comment.

Under the Geneva Convention, occupying forces are obliged to protect civilians, restore law and order and open up space for humanitarian relief.

A spokeswoman for Save the Children told Reuters the plane would also carry medical officials. She said the charity had already taken vehicles into Arbil with money for hospitals but they now needed medical supplies.

The charity, who said the hospitals did not have sufficient water or power, also said the staff at one hospital had been forced to combat looters as they continued to work throughout fighting in the city.

Aid officials say Iraq is in desperate need of medical and food deliveries following a month of fighting and years of economic sanctions and misrule.

U.S. war commander General Tommy Franks said on Thursday that law and order was returning to Iraq following a wave of looting and that his forces were now firmly focused on aid and humanitarian operations.

Prior to the U.S.-led attack on Iraq, 60 percent of Iraq's 26 million people depended directly on a U.N.-backed oil-for-food program, which allowed proceeds from Iraq's oil to be used to buy food while the country was under international economic sanctions.

[GulliverSwift]

the U.N. has already declared Arbil a "safe and secure" area, the charity said.

Good, I feel much better. I'm glad the UN invests millions of dollars into military intelligence.

[m1911]

"the U.N. has already declared Arbil a "safe and secure" area"

What the heck does the UN know about the safety of the area?

[Hodar]

There are always two sides to a story. I'd be real interested in hearing the other side. There has to be a reason why this plane would be denied.

[grobdriver]

And if they were given clearance to come in now and shoulder-fired SAM brough the plane down, there would be hell to pay and "Why didn't the US have the area secured before they tried to land?"

[wastoute]

I wouldn't beleive a thing coming out of the UN. Certainly not in regard to Iraq. Doubly so when it has a "Hillaryesque" name like "Svae the Children". Probably trying to ship land mines or RPGs into the dang place.

[El Sordo]

"U.N. has already declared Arbil a "safe and secure" area, the charity said."

Sigh.....

I wish I had the "Not this sh!t again" graphic.

[noexcuses]

but the U.N. has already declared Arbil a "safe and secure" area, the charity said.

How would the UN know?

[Sam Cree]

The Left has many faces, it seems, or at least that's what I get from this.

[Mike the Conservative]

but the U.N. has already declared Arbil a "safe and secure" area,

And Hans Blix is the new president of Iraq.

[Grampa Dave]

O believe absolutely nothing that Reuters has to say about this war, before, during and after the war.

They and the UN are incapable of telling the truth about anything.

[demosthenes the elder]

on the one hand: it'd be nice to get the aid to those who need it
on the OTHER hand: this is clearly the "thin edge" the UN has deployed in their efforts to wedge themselves back into some semblance of authority over Iraq.

This is a clever little catch-22 for the Coalition.
I don't know of an equally clever way to disarm it.

[Tarheel]

A U.S. official told the charity no aid flights would be allowed until the area was safe but the U.N. has already declared Arbil a "safe and secure" area, the charity said.

To the best of my knowledge there are no UN staffers/troops on the ground in Iraq to make this call. The US is there and lifting a good percentage of the load--we do know what the level of security is, therefore WE make the call.

The Tarheel

[EggsAckley]

There has to be a reason why this plane would be denied.

Maybe they want to keep that whiney twit Sally Struthers out.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

Nice to see that Reuters is still printing unmitigated crap.

[snooker]

From the article ...

"The charity, who said the hospitals did not have sufficient water or power, also said the staff at one hospital had been forced to combat looters as they continued to work throughout fighting in the city."

The other side. Like the military said it isn't safe. Shooting down a cargo plane would be easy. RPGs are everywhere. Even the kids have them. Hide at the end of the runway, bang, no cargo plane.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

...but the U.N. has already declared Arbil a "safe and secure" area...

Insanity. This is pure unadulterated propaganda.

[AFreeBird]

A U.S. official told the charity no aid flights would be allowed until the area was safe but the U.N. has already declared Arbil a "safe and secure" area, the charity said.

Geez, I don't recall seeing any "blue helmets" in the area. How the hell do they know what is secure or not.

[Freebird Forever]

I don't know of an equally clever way to disarm it.

How about setting the plane down in Kuwait, transferring the cargo to the coalition, and let them transport it when they deem appropriate.

[Reeses]

You can't ask liberals to take a bus into Iraq, they must fly in on a jet. How could they reaffirm their love for themselves after having used a bus seat?