Press Release No. 207-03
30 April 2003
HUMANITARIAN
ASSISTANCE TO IRAQ IS IN THE NATIONAL INTEREST – DFA
The sending of a humanitarian contingent to Iraq is in the country's best
interest. This is the message that Acting Secretary for Foreign Affairs Delia
D. Albert conveyed during the hearing of the Senate Committee on Foreign
Relations this afternoon.
Acting Secretary Albert emphasized that policy towards Iraq has always been
guided by the desire to ensure the immediate and long-term safety of Filipinos
in the Middle East and to deprive terrorists of the ability to use or threaten
the use of weapons of mass destruction.
"We have a direct and important stake in the stability of the Middle East,"
she said. "And this stability hinges on Iraq becoming a stable, viable and
pluralistic country, we too have a critical stake in the stability in Iraq."
"With this in mind, and in the context of what we can do as a developing
country, it is in the interest of the Philippines to do what it can to help
stabilize Iraq. And the first challenge is to help address the humanitarian
needs of the people of Iraq."
She also cited paragraph two of United Nations Security Council Resolution1472
of 28 March 2003 which...
"Calls on the international community also to provide immediate humanitarian
assistance to the people of Iraq, both inside and outside Iraq, in consultation
with relevant States, and in particular to respond immediately to any future
humanitarian appeal of the United Nations, and supports the activities of
the International Committee of the Red Cross and other international humanitarian
organizations."
"This is a call that has been made not only by the Security Council, but
also by world leaders, non-governmental aid organizations, and the
people of Iraq themselves," said the Acting Secretary.
Acting Secretary Albert stressed that the contingent that will be sent will
be a strictly a humanitarian mission.
"We have studied the needs of the Iraqi people and we will be sending a medical
team that can focus not only on the basic health needs of the Iraqi people,
but also trauma and related injuries. We will also be sending social workers,
many of whom speak Arabic, who will be able to help our medical doctors deal
with their Iraqi patients and who will also be involved in trauma counseling.
I anticipate that the members of our humanitarian team will gain from their
experience, to our ultimate benefit," she said.
She also stated that though the contingent will have a police and military
component, their primary mission will be to safeguard the security of the
medical and social welfare personnel, while their secondary mission is to
help secure the lines of humanitarian supplies and help in its distribution.
Secretary Blas F. Ople will give a policy briefing to leaders of the Senate
and the House of Representatives on Monday, May 5.
END