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IRAQ: Australia's Post-war Plan Short on Humanitarian Efforts
By Sonny Inbaraj
PERTH, Australia, Apr 11 (IPS) - Prime Minister John Howard's announcement
Thursday that Australia would become an "occupying power" in Iraq came
under criticism immediately, for the lack of details on how the government
was going to aid the humanitarian reconstruction of the post-war country.
"This country will join the United States and the United Kingdom as
partners in the Coalition Transitional Authority in Iraq, which will be
involved in the overall administrative matters in the pathway towards
transferring power in that country to the Iraqi people," said Howard.
Howard added some of the Australian troops, who together with their
British counterparts were in the U.S.-led coalition, would now remain in
Iraq to provide security in the transitional period, but this, he said,
would not constitute a "significant peacekeeping contribution".
Howard refused to say how long that phase would last.
"I'm not talking about a period of 12 months or two years but we would
retain some niche contribution of military forces in order to assist the
immediate transition phase," he said.
Earlier, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Australia chose to be
an "occupying" power in Iraq because it was part of the U.S.-led coalition
in the war against Iraq and hence was bound by the Geneva Conventions.
"Under the (Fourth) Geneva Convention we would have certain
obligations. And obviously we would fulfill our obligations," said Downer.
According to Downer, six senior public servants going to join Iraq's
interim government would be part of that contribution.
Five are already in Kuwait working under former U.S. general Jay
Garner, whose Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Affairs is
responsible for the initial running of post-war Iraq. A sixth public
servant is about to leave.
Under the Fourth Geneva Convention, the primary obligations of any
occupying powers, after a conflict, are to restore and ensure public order
and safety in the occupied territory and to ensure that adequate medicine,
health supplies and food are provided for the civilian population.
But Laura Tingle, political correspondent of the influential
'Australian Financial Review', criticised Howard's commitment to a post-war
Iraq.
"Yesterday, Howard told us Australia would become a 'partner' in the
transitional authority, and, yes, an 'occupying power'. But that connotes a
lot more than throwing a few bureaucrats into the Pentagon's Office of
Reconstruction and Humanitarian Affairs," she wrote in a commentary.
Tingle pointed out that additional protocols to which Australia and
Britain are signatories, but which does not apply to the United States,
require Australia to meet more detailed obligations to clothe, bed and
shelter the Iraqis.
"But there was little detail available about what this meant in
practical or financial terms for Australia," she wrote.
Added Tingle: "One of the most astonishing aspects of the past couple
of weeks is that so little thought has been given to what would happen
after a presumed military victory, either in Canberra or Washington."
Ramiro Lopes da Silva, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Iraq, said
reconstruction activities immediately after the end of hostilities must
focus on basic humanitarian needs.
"In general terms, from the picture we are getting of the deteriorating
conditions inside Iraq, the priorities seem certain to include water and
sanitation, medical assistance, shelter and food. Our worry is to be able
to act fast enough to get the supplies into Iraq," he said.
Meanwhile, the Geneva-based World Health Organisation (WHO) said the
situation in Iraqi hospitals was critical. It said there was an urgent need
for surgical items, and such things as antibiotics and painkillers.
WHO also said the ability of hospitals and hospital staff, in Baghdad,
to do their work was being severely curtailed by the lack of civil order in
the city.
Baghdad's Medical City hospital centre, according to WHO, is reported
to be running very short of water, which makes it almost impossible for the
hospital to offer effective medical care to the people who need it.
WHO in a statement said that a U.N. appeal for 328 million U.S. dollars
for Iraq's health needs launched almost two weeks ago had recently received
only 12 million U.S. dollars.
Greens leader Bob Brown lashed out at Howard's silence on the inability
of Baghdad hospitals to cope with the huge war casualties.
"Last week Mr Howard cited Baghdad hospitals coping as a sign the war
is going 'extremely well'. But now the hospitals cannot cope, he has lapsed
into a miserable silence on the bloodshed," he said.
The Australian Democrats leader, Andrew Bartlett, said there was still
a huge humanitarian and reconstruction task in post-war Iraq.
"There's still thousands of Iraqi civilians that have been killed or
maimed and many more in danger from destroyed infrastructure, the
possibility of disease, and inadequate medical facilities," he said.
"And that's where the focus needs to be now, getting the humanitarian
aid through as quickly as possible and trying to continue to minimise
civilian casualties," added Senator Bartlett.
Bartlett said while the Democrats did not support the government's
decision to send troops to Iraq, Australia cannot abandon the country as
soon as the war is over.
"We do have a responsibility to clean up the damage that's now been
done, one of the great skills that Australian personnel have is in
peacekeeping and ensuring humanitarian assistance gets through," he said. (END/2003)
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