UN, Red Cross condemn ongoing bombings targting innocent civilians in Iraq by UN News/ Reuters / ICRC 5:34am 4th Apr, 2007   April 2007    UN envoy decries bombings targeting Iraqi civilians. (UN News)    The senior United Nations envoy to Iraq has condemned bombings which are targeting civilians in the country.    In a statement released in Baghdad, the Secretary-General"s Special Representative, Ashraf Qazi “denounced in the strongest terms the bombings which are causing the death and injury of innocent civilians.”    Mr. Qazi described these wanton acts of deliberate violence against men, women and children while going about their daily lives as “heinous.”    He also stressed the importance of a united response. “Only by coming together, opting for national dialogue and reconciliation, and collectively renouncing all forms of violence, can the Iraqi people overcome the scourge of the unbridled violence that threatens their very existence.”    Drawing on the promise of the past, he called on the people of Iraq to “maintain the common bonds that are so deeply rooted in their collective memory and have endured over time to ensure the sanctity, unity and integrity of their country.”    Mr. Qazi also called on all political, religious, tribal and civil society leaders to “mobilize all means available to bring down the level of violence and allow all Iraqis the benefit of the dignified and secure living they so deserve.”    Geneva, April 11 (Reuters)    Humanitarian situation in Iraq worsening - Red Cross.    The suffering of Iraqi civilians is worsening and there is no sign yet that a security crackdown in Baghdad is bringing relief, the international Red Cross said on Wednesday.    Hospitals were stretched to the limit by daily mass casualties, malnutrition was on the rise and power shortages were becoming more frequent around the country, the relief agency said.    "The suffering that Iraqi men, women and children are enduring today is unbearable and unacceptable," said Pierre Kraehenbuehl, director of operations for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).    He told journalists there was no indication yet that the clampdown in Baghdad, launched in February by Iraqi and U.S.-led coalition forces, was improving the situation of civilians.    "We are not seeing a stabilising effect yet," said the official, whose Swiss-based organisation is one of the few humanitarian groups to have foreign staff in Iraq.    All parties to the conflict, including coalition forces, needed to do more to ensure that the lives of ordinary people were spared because that was their obligation under international humanitarian law, he added.    In a report released in Geneva dwelling largely on its own operations in Iraq, the ICRC gave no new figures on the situation there.    Entitled "Iraq -- the ever-worsening crisis", it "expresses alarm about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Iraq".    It said that it was providing emergency food and water supplies to over 60,000 people a month, with the Iraqi Red Crescent handling the bulk of the distribution.    04 Apr 2007. Geneva / Baghdad (ICRC)    "Iraq is experiencing a major crisis," says Karl Mattli, who heads the delegation in Iraq of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).    "Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been driven from their homes, dozens of civilians are being killed in daily attacks, and the country"s health-care facilities are struggling to cope with mass-casualties."    Recently Iraq has suffered numerous acts of violence that have caused hundreds of deaths, especially in the greater Baghdad area. The ICRC is aiding civilians affected by the conflict – wounded, displaced or otherwise vulnerable people – in various parts of the country, despite difficulties gaining access to some areas.    It regularly provides emergency aid for health-care facilities and working closely with the Iraqi Red Crescent Society, the ICRC is distributing aid to families who are displaced.    Reportedly, chlorine has been used during recent attacks in Anbar, Baghdad and Ninawa governorates. Employing the toxic properties of chlorine to cause death or injury constitutes use of a chemical weapon and is therefore prohibited by international law.    The ICRC once again calls on all parties in Iraq to protect and spare civilians. It urges all those who have influence on the ground to ensure that the civilian population has adequate access to vital services such as health care, water, food and electricity.
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