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Comunicado de Prensa
Geneva, 17 March 2003
Federation ready with assistance for
one million in Iraq crisis
The largest-ever emergency deployment
by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent
Societies in response to a potential refugee crisis is now
ready to take place.
Some 30 Emergency Response Units are
on stand-by to provide any refugee influx into countries neighbouring
Iraq with vital life-support in the form of field hospitals,
clinics, water and sanitation services. These units can provide
assistance to upwards of one million people in a period of
one month.
The International Federation also intends
to boost the capacity of its member Red Crescent Societies
in the region by providing logistics and telecommunications
support to their efforts to provide shelter to 250,000 people
or more: 100,000 in Iran; 80,000 in Turkey; 25,000 in Syria
and 25,000 in Jordan. Additional relief items for 20,000 people
are available from regional stocks.
"The consequences of conflict
in the region will be disastrous for the most vulnerable,
particularly if the UN Oil-for-Food programme is disrupted.
This is why we are placing so much emphasis on pre-positioning
in neighbouring countries for any outflow of displaced people,"
said Didier Cherpitel, Secretary General of the International
Federation.
The Emergency Response Units are developed
by and staffed with personnel from the Red Cross Societies
of Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Japan,
Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
For further information, or to set up
interviews (ISDN line available in Geneva), please contact:
Denis McClean, Head, Media Service Tel:
+ 41 22 730 44 28 / + 41 79 217 33 57 Marie-Françoise
Borel, Information officer Tel: + 41 22 730 43 46 / + 41 79
217 33 45 Media Service Duty Phone Tel: + 41 79 416 38 81
The Federation, the national Red Cross
and Red Crescent Societies and the International
Committee of the Red Cross together constitute the International
Red Cross and Red
Crescent Movement. For further information on Federation activities,
please see our web
site: www.ifrc.org
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