- The UN, aid organizations, and Russia's President Putin
have warned on Monday of a humanitarian catastrophe in Iraq. Before all
in the besieged city of Basra is the situation very critical: Water is
running out, the people are trying to flee.
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- Moscow/Berlin - The Russian President has warned his
US colleague George W. Bush on Monday concerning a possible humanitarian
catastrophe in Iraq as consequence of the battle developments. In an afternoon
telephone conversation Putin called upon the US President to prevent this
threatening catastrophe. "The emphasis of the conversation lay by
the humanitarian aspect of the military actions," said the Press office
of the Kremlin.
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- Full article at: http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,241932,00.html
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- Das Wasser wird knapp
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- Uno, Hilfsorganisationen und Russlands Präsident
Putin haben am Montag vor einer humanitären Katastrophe im Irak gewarnt.
Vor allem in der belagerten südirakischen Stadt Basra sei die Situation
sehr kritisch: Das Wasser geht aus, die Menschen versuchen zu fliehen.
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- Moskau/Berlin - Der russische Präsident Wladimir
Putin hat am Montag seinen US- Kollegen George W. Bush vor einer möglichen
humanitären Katastrophe im Irak als Folge der Kampfhandlungen gewarnt.
In einem am Abend geführten Telefongespräch rief Putin den US-
Präsidenten auf, diese drohende Katastrophe abzuwenden. "Der
Schwerpunkt des Gesprächs lag beim humanitären Aspekt der militärischen
Aktionen", teilte die Kreml-Pressestelle mit.
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- Martin S. White
- National Alliance for Individual and Constitutional Rights
- http://www.naicr.org/
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- Children 'Likely To Die In Basra'
- From Correspondents in Amman, Jordan
- Sunday Times - London
- 3-24-3
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- AT least 100,000 small children in Basra are at risk
of disease after water supplies were cut following US-led air strikes on
the besieged southern Iraqi city, the United Nations Children's Fund has
warned.
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- UNICEF said it was concerned over frequent power cuts
and the consequent cutting of water supplies to Iraq's second largest city.
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- "There must now be a threat of disease as tens of
thousands of people in their homes, hospitals and care institutions attempt
to cope and find what water they can from the river and other sources,"
it said.
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- "Unfortunately the river is also where sewage is
dumped."
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- It said children were most vulnerable to contaminated
water.
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- "Not only are they suffering from high rates of
malnutrition, in Basra there is the very real possibility now of child
deaths, not only from the conflict, but from the additional effects of
diarrhoea and dehydration."
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- UNICEF said it estimated that "at least 100,000
children under the age of five are at risk".
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- The warning was issued in Amman. Foreign aid workers
were evacuated to the Jordanian capital from Iraq last week.
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- UN Secretary General Kofi Annan also said Basra "may
be facing a humanitarian disaster".
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- Fadela Chaib, a spokeswoman for the World Health Organisation
in Amman, said teams from the International Committee of the Red Cross
had restored the water supply for about 40 per cent of Basra's population.
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- However, she said this only partially met the city's
needs.
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- "The WHO is worried about the impact that the lack
of access to potable and clean water will have on the health situation,
which could deteriorate quickly."
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- British forces attacking Basra were forced to withdraw
to regroup after coming under attack with mortars and by Iraqi irregular
forces disguised in civilian clothes, the British military said today.
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- http://www.sundaytimes.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,6184428%255E25778,00.html
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