United Nations, Apr 09: The United Nations has identified USD 720 million in priority humanitarian goods for Iraq that are in transit now but the world body still needs USD 2.2 billion in emergency funds to help alleviate the suffering of the Iraqi people, a senior UN official said. Benon Sevan, head of the UN Oil-for-Food programme, told the Ssecurity Council yesterday that food, medicine and other relief supplies in the programme's pipeline are insufficient to meet the emergency needs in Iraq. He therefore appealed to all nations "to put aside political considerations" and contribute generously to the UN appeal for $2.2 billion to purchase food in the region immediately without waiting for shipments to arrive and to buy items like tents and water purification tablets that aren't available under the UN programme. "Our main objective must be the provision of emergency supplies to the Iraqi people at this very difficult period," Sevan said in his statement released after the closed council meeting. "They have suffered far too long and they deserve better." In an effort to speed aid to Iraq, the Security Council on March 28 authorized Secretary-General Kofi Annan to review nearly USD 16 billion in contracts already approved under the Oil-for-Food programme and give priority to those that could be used immediately for humanitarian relief.

The UN programme, which uses Iraq's oil revenues primarily to pay for food and medical supplies, had been feeding 60 per cent of the country's 22 million people. It was suspended on March 17 when Annan ordered all UN international staff to leave the country before the US-led strike.

Bureau Report