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German aid workers want to stay in Iraq, but exit plans drawn up
Jordan Times, Wednesday, October 29, 2003
BERLIN (AFP) — Aid agencies in Germany said Tuesday they wanted to stay in Iraq despite a wave of attacks but had made contingency plans to leave immediately if the danger level rose further. A spokeswoman for Help, which has five foreign and 12 local staff in Iraq, told AFP that it would continue working “for as long as possible” but did not rule out pulling back if the security situation deteriorated.
“Our evacuation plans are ready. Our staff could leave immediately by plane without the need for any further discussions,” she said.
Wolfgang Nierwetberg, director of the Bonn-based agency, said its staff had been advised not to leave their offices in Baghdad for the next few days.
“But we can't just abandon the Iraqi people,” he added.
“Complete withdrawal of the humanitarian organisations would only serve to encourage the terrorists and would leave to even further radicalisation.”
A series of suicide bombings Monday across Baghdad, including one targeting the offices of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), killed 43 people and wounded more than 200.
More explosions were reported Tuesday, adding further strain on the US-led forces occupying the country and endangering nongovernmental organisations working there.
Christina Heitmann, a German spokeswoman for Care, said it was reassessing the situation. “We are very concerned.”
Care has cautioned its eight foreign and 70 local staff in Iraq to “keep as low a profile as possible.”
Georg Rossmaier, of Cap Anamur, told ZDF public television that the attack on the ICRC office in Baghdad was “an alarm signal” and that he was expecting the agencies to pull their staff out sooner or later.
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| Earth, a planet hungry for peace |
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| The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03). |
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| The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers in the West Bank (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03). |
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