MFP
Executive Committee Statement on the War in Iraq and United
Nation Sanctions
MFP is unequivocally
opposed to war in Iraq, by the United States, Britain and its allies,
with or without the approval of the majority of the U.N. Security
Counsel. Disaster assessments by MFP teams after the Gulf War of 1991
revealed the extreme vulnerability of the Iraqi civilian population
to modern warfare, particularly strategic bombing. The destruction
of the 22 electric power generating plants and numerous water purification
and sewage treatment facilities caused epidemic levels of water born
infections in a population of children and elderly weakened by malnutrition.
The destruction of the public health and medical care delivery system
compounded the crisis. The marked increase in infant and child deaths
following the War has been well-documented by independent governmental
and non- governmental organizations. After twelve years of sanctions
the Iraqi population finds itself even less capable of withstanding
bombardment by weapons in the U.S. arsenal.
MFP is strongly opposed to the sanctions imposed on Iraq by U.N.
Resolution 661 on August 2, 1990 and urges their immediate suspension.
As a general ethical and medical principal, MFP decries the use
of disease or starvation as a political instrument.
MFP first
toured Iraq in June, 1991. In our assessment report, " Health
Crisis in Baghdad, 1991" , we stated unequivocally that the
lack of medicine, the near famine conditions and the widespread
disruption of the health care delivery system was due, in large
part to the U.N. imposed sanctions. In 1993, MFP conducted a comprehensive
child health and development survey and found that 10% of children
were acutely malnourished, 30% of children had stunted growth
and nearly half of children were anemic. A number of studies in
1991 (WHO/UNICEF, Harvard Study Team) and numerous studies since
that time (UNICEF, UN Special Report to the Secretary General,
Food and Agriculture Organization of the U.N.) Have confirmed
that there are now a large number of wasted, stunted and poorly
developed children in Iraq. More distressing is the 1999 UNNCEF
Report indicating that infant and under-five mortality has steadily
increased since the Gulf War and is now 2-3 times pre-war levels.
While there has been some improvement in malnutrition rates in
the past few years the present structure of the 'Food -for-Oil"
program appears woefully inadequate to correct the root causes
of the widespread deleterious health and social consequences created
by twelve years of sanctions.
Return
to News Archive
|
|
