Red Cross President reveals that three humanitarian catastrophes in the Arab region currently top his organisation's agenda, reports Gamal Nkrumah "I want to highlight the importance we attach to the Arab region," International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) President Jacob Kellenberger told Al- Ahram Weekly. "We remain very committed to our humanitarian work in Iraq," he stressed, in spite of sustained attacks on ICRC facilities and personnel in the country. Following the last major attack on the ICRC headquarters in Baghdad on 7 October 2003, the organisation stepped up its security measures. The offices in Baghdad and Basra were temporarily closed. In Egypt to participate in a conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent societies of the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern regions, Kellenberger identified three areas in the Arab world that critically concern the ICRC. Iraq is currently the largest operation in terms of expenditure, closely followed by Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, and Sudan. "It is very important to listen to the people of the region, and also to political leaders. We need to know how they think and how they feel about matters of vital importance to us," Kellenberger said. He cited the case of Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip, and in particular Rafah, where thousands have been made homeless by Israel's policy of house demolitions. "No war is above international law," he told the Weekly. "The ICRC urges Israel to respect its international obligations under the rules of international humanitarian law. Civilians must be respected under international law." "Rafah is a major concern for us. We are focussing on Brazil Camp and Tel Al- Sultan," Kellenberger said. "We recently helped 200 wounded children. We carried out emergency repair works on water facilities in the aftermath of the Israeli demolition raids. These facilities serve 100,000 people." He explained that his organisation is currently trying to identify areas requiring emergency repair work in Rafah and other parts of Gaza. Kellenberger has travelled extensively in the region, meeting with top officials and activists in non-governmental organisations. Since last October, he has travelled to Riyadh, Kuwait, Khartoum, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Qatar and Cairo. During his two-day visit to Egypt, Kellenberger met twice with First Lady Mrs Suzanne Mubarak. It was a measure of how seriously the ICRC seeks the participation of women in creating peace- building mechanisms. Mrs Mubarak and Kellenberger agreed on the vital importance of the role of women in promoting peace. "Women are more affected by armed conflicts than men. We work for the protection of the status of women in societies at war, because women are usually the pillars upon which family life is constructed," he said. Kellenberger also met Minister of Justice Farouk Seif El-Nasr and discussed issues pertaining to international humanitarian law. "Egypt has an international commission on humanitarian law, and the minister of justice has played a very active role in facilitating the implementation of international treaties." The ICRC head stressed that he uses his visits to the region to "explain our principles of action". He said that in a time of such heightened international tension it is important to clarify the ICRC's position on certain issues, "especially, for example, on what we mean by independent and neutral humanitarian action". Formerly a Swiss foreign minister, he said that the ICRC has a file on the "deplorable conditions in Iraqi prisons", including Abu Ghraib. "We have asked for corrective action. The main priorities in Iraq are to visit the detention centres and to review the conditions on the exchange of messages between separated family members. The third priority is to provide emergency medical assistance." Kellenberger said that ICRC is in touch with former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, and that it is reviewing his health and mental condition. As with any other prisoner of war, the ICRC takes care of his correspondence with family members. The ICRC has some 80 operational and regional delegations, but the bulk of the organisation's work focusses on trouble spots in Arab countries such as Iraq, Palestine and Sudan. The work of the ICRC focusses on issues of economic security -- which have a profound impact on health, water and habitat -- sanitation, and the construction of infrastructural facilities and health care services. In March, Kellenberger flew to Sudan specifically to plead with the Sudanese authorities to facilitate access to the war- torn region of Darfur. "I was in Khartoum in March," said Kellenberger. He met with Sudanese President Omar Hassan Al-Beshir. "I told him that there was a very bad humanitarian situation at hand and that we needed better access to Darfur." Since then, Kellenberger notes, access improved considerably. Yet now, "with the onset of the rainy season, it will become much more difficult for the humanitarian relief convoys to reach the target population." The Red Cross has four hospitals in Darfur. He added that the organisation is currently "tracing people and identifying missing persons, and reuniting families divided by the conflict". He said the Red Cross is working in "close collaboration with the Sudanese Red Crescent Society". Around the world, almost 16,000 war- wounded were admitted to ICRC- sponsored hospitals in 2003, where an estimated 88,903 operations were performed.
