Brussels, 13/06/2003 (Agence Europe) - On a visit to Brussels on Thursday, Jakob Kellenberger, President of the International Red Cross Committee met the European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid, Poul Nielson, for discussions between the Commission and the ICRC on humanitarian aid and the High Representative for CFSP, Javier Solana, to discuss the situation in the Middle East and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). These meetings took place before the meeting of the ICRC group of donors on Thursday evening.
During the press conference, the Commissioner and the President of the ICRC were pleased with their cooperation based on confidence. According to Poul Nielson, the ICRC is Echo's (the Community humanitarian aid office) "partner par excellence", which has contributed to the funding of its operation to the tune of more than EUR 100 million during the course of the last three years. As well as financial support, Poul Nielson underlined the importance of helping the ICRC fulfil its mandate, "as the main organisation in the promotion of humanitarian law, which needed the support of the entire international community to implement Geneva Conventions according to a single approach". The Commissioner explained that the ICRC's mission was even more important in the struggle against terrorism following the 11 September, the war in Afghanistan and more recently the war in Iraq.
Insisting on the importance of "preserving a humanitarian area" in the future Constitution of the Union, the Commissioner said that he was particularly happy that the draft arrived on at the end of the Convention had, for the first time, included a legal basis for the humanitarian aid of the Community. He also pointed out the importance, of the safety of humanitarian personnel, of observing very strict rules when military and civilian capabilities are utilised in the humanitarian framework. "This is also the case for the current situation in Bunia in the DRC", declared Mr Neilson.
The revised guidelines of the United Nations on the matter, known as "Oslo II" will be very useful in this regard, stressed Poul Nielson, pleased that they would be released to the public at the international meeting on 26 June in Brussels.
Jakob Kellenberger outlined that his meetings with the Commissioner had allowed for a deeper analysis of the humanitarian situation in Iraq, DRC and Liberia and that his meeting with Javier Solana had provided the opportunity to draw attention to the extremely serious situation in the DRC, not only in Bunia but in the four provinces in the East of the country. "We need a major effort on a very large scale. We are open about coordinating all efforts".
Active in 80 countries, the ICRC provides assistance and protection to people in conflict zones. In 2003 it was very active in Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel and the Palestinian territories, as well as the Russian Federation. The President of the ICRC, declared to the President of the ICRC that, "Echo is our main partner in the money lending community. Cooperation between us is excellent. I particularly appreciate Echo's approach to 'forgotten conflicts'".
Asked about the conflict in Chechnya, Poul Nielson explained that the Northern Caucasus was an ICRC intervention zone, which had benefited from Echo both last year and this year. He asserted that, the humanitarian situation is very difficult. We are helping 150,000 people displaced to both outside and inside the country. We are targeting detention centres in Chechnya and around. The level of expenditure for 2003 is expected to be EUR 26 million. since the second conflict in autumn 1999, more than EUR 93 million have been sent by Echo to the country". We haven't forgotten it at all". The Commissioner pointed to the enormous difficulties of access experienced by the personnel, who were, nevertheless, still pursuing their mission. Asked to give his opinion on the two sentences uttered on the subject in the conclusions of the EU/Russia summit, Poul Nielson said that he "shared the disappointment that no clear reference at all had been made to the protection and respect for rights of the people".
In reply to a journalist who asked Jacob Kellenberg if his contribution made at the end of May to Colin Powell in support of the prisoners at Guantanamo (Cuba) had borne fruit, the ICRC President explained that he message had been welcomed "with much understanding" but that he had not yet seen " the concretisation of the significant changes" he had asked for.