ICRC News 48 / 06-Dec-01


** SHORT MENU....
Occupied and autonomous territories
ICRC ACTS AS NEUTRAL INTERMEDIARY
Amid the increased violence, the ICRC has stepped up its efforts to
facilitate the transport of the sick and wounded and the movement of
civilians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Afghanistan
ICRC radio messages broadcast in Kabul
Radio Afghanistan has begun to broadcast ICRC mine-awareness spots for the
civilian population of Kabul. These public service announcements are meant
to alert children and adults to the ongoing danger of landmines.

Morocco/Western Sahara
New ICRC visit to Moroccan prisoners held
by Polisario Front
Between 20 November and 3 December, two ICRC delegates - one a doctor
qualified in psychiatry - visited the Moroccan prisoners held by the
Polisario Front

Eritrea
Enhancing the Eritrean Health Service
On Saturday 1 December, 12 young Eritreans graduated as "associate
physiotherapists" from Asmara's College of Nursing and Health Science at a
ceremony presided over by the Minister of Health, Dr Saleh Meky.

Argentina
On-line ICRC course for journalists
In November, the ICRC regional delegation in Buenos Aires launched an
interactive Internet course on the topic of "journalists and armed
conflict".

Nobel Symposium, Oslo
ICRC takes part in Peace Prize Centennial
One hundred years after Red Cross founder Henry Dunant shared the first
Nobel Peace Prize with Frédéric Passy, the Nobel Peace Prize Centennial
Symposium is being held this week in Norway.


** STORIES IN FULL...

Occupied and autonomous territories
ICRC ACTS AS NEUTRAL INTERMEDIARY

Amid the increased violence, the ICRC has stepped up its efforts to
facilitate the transport of the sick and wounded and the movement of
civilians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

On 22 October, Mohammed Abu Fouda was shot and seriously injured in the
chest and upper left arm. He underwent a series of operations in the West
Bank and Jordan, but the nerves in his arm failed to respond to treatment.
Although he found a sponsor to cover the cost of a nerve transplant in
Austria, he was not allowed to travel for security reasons. After the ICRC
made representations to the Israeli Civil Administration on his behalf,
Mohammed was finally able to leave for Austria on 4 December.

The same day, the ICRC obtained permission for five patients in need of
dialysis to be taken from Jenin to Nablus for treatment. The five had been
unable to travel because their permits were not issued on time. After a
Palestine Red Crescent ambulance brought them to Nablus, all five were
hospitalized for further care.

Following ICRC negotiations with the Israeli authorities in Ramallah
district, Palestinian farmers from Janieh village were allowed to collect
their olives in the settlement of Talmon. The harvest of about 2,000 olive
trees, which in normal circumstances would take one week, had to be
interrupted after only three days owing to increased violence in the West
Bank. Since the beginning of the second intifada, olive oil has become the
main source of income for many people who have lost their jobs.

ICRC staff remain present in the occupied and the autonomous territories,
giving whatever assistance they can to all those in need, within the
limits imposed by the prevailing security situation.

Further information: Aleksandra Matijevic, ICRC Jerusalem, mobile ++ 972
57 735 235


Afghanistan
ICRC radio messages broadcast in Kabul

Radio Afghanistan has begun to broadcast ICRC mine-awareness spots for the
civilian population of Kabul. These public service announcements are meant
to alert children and adults to the ongoing danger of landmines.

Radio Afghanistan is still emerging from the ruins of the former
Taliban-controlled Radio Shariat, whose transmitters were targeted during
the recent bombing campaign. For the time being its programmes can only be
heard in Kabul as the temporary radio transmitters do not provide
countrywide coverage.

"If you see a mine or unexploded device near a road or a well," says the
radio announcer, "do not approach it, do not touch it and do not throw
anything at it." The spot especially produced for children says: "Try to
stop your friends from playing with unexploded devices. If they don't
listen to you, run away and tell an adult. Don't stay near them and watch
what they are doing!"


The people at greatest risk in Kabul are those living in the vicinity of
military bases which were hit during the recent bombing campaign. Various
missiles, bombs and other explosive devices previously stored in the
arsenals were scattered by the blasts, some landing in the streets, others
in private homes.

Between 60 and 80 anti-personnel landmine victims are treated each week in
the capital alone. According to data collected by the ICRC, up to the end
of the year 2000 an average of 90 mine incidents were occurring every
month throughout the country.

Cluster bombs included in mine-awareness efforts

After 20 years of conflict, Afghanistan has one of the highest
concentrations of anti-personnel landmines of any country in the world.
Moreover, a new type of weapon, cluster bombs, has been used in the recent
campaign, leaving even a greater number of potentially explosive devices
in the streets, on roofs and in open water channels.

This week, the ICRC-supported Afghan Red Crescent Society mine-awareness
teams followed a crash course on cluster bombs held by the United Nations
Mine Action Centre in Afghanistan. The teams can now add this new weapon
to the list of deadly objects they warn people about, often speaking
informally with them in the streets.

ICRC helps clean up south-western districts of Kabul

The ICRC is helping the office of the mayor to clean up five districts in
south-western Kabul. Over 420,000 people live in these districts, which
include some of the poorest in the city and which are currently littered
with household garbage and piles of debris.

For the past week municipal teams have been removing the garbage from
drainage channels, empty lots and streets. Early next week, additional
teams with trucks and bulldozers will pick up the debris and cart it off.
The ICRC is providing brooms, shovels and wheelbarrows, along with food
for the teams as a form of incentive. It is also covering the operating
costs of the trucks and paying for the fuel.

"Much of the garbage has been dumped in the drainage channels alongside
the roads," said Giorgio Nembrini, the ICRC's coordinator of water and
habitation projects in Afghanistan. "This operation will prevent the
channels from spilling over once the rain and snow start in a few weeks.
In that sense, it is also a preventive health measure."

The programme is scheduled to last one month, according to Nembrini, and
will then be reviewed. The ICRC is working together with other
organizations in various areas of the city and stands ready to offer
assistance should there be further needs.

The ICRC is also running a winterization programme for about 5,000 of the
neediest families in these five districts in south-western Kabul. The
families, chosen in cooperation with local elders, will receive plastic
sheeting, blankets, a small traditional heater and charcoal for fuel.

Further information: Bernard Barrett and Michael Kleiner, ICRC Kabul, tel.
++873 761 24 22 60
Macarena Aguilar, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++41 79 217 32 64


Morocco/Western Sahara
New ICRC visit to Moroccan prisoners held
by Polisario Front

Between 20 November and 3 December, two ICRC delegates - one a doctor
qualified in psychiatry - visited the Moroccan prisoners held by the
Polisario Front. In total, 1,477 prisoners are still being held. The
delegates saw 680 of them, including 35 civilians, the others having been
seen by the ICRC in May. During their visit, the delegates visited eight
detention centres in the area of Tindouf (Algeria), in the part of Western
Sahara east of the sand wall and in a hospital. They were informed that
one prisoner had died and another had escaped, which explained the drop in
the total number of prisoners from 1,479 in May to 1,477 in December.

The aims of the visit were to assess the general conditions under which
the prisoners were being held and to measure the effect on their mental
health of such a long period of captivity. For 1,028of them, detention has
already lasted over 20 years, and one prisoner is now starting his 27th
year in captivity. Red Cross messages have been enabling the prisoners to
keep in touch with their families and the ICRC distributed 99 pairs of
glasses and delivered 180 kg of medical supplies during the visit.

The ICRC is extremely concerned about the long period these men have spent
as prisoners. In view of the age and health of the prisoners, the time for
which they have been held, and the requirements of international
humanitarian law, the ICRC repeats its call for all prisoners to be
released immediately, starting with the most vulnerable.

During the period of their visit, the delegates spoke to representatives
of the Polisario Front and members of civil society regarding Sahrawis who
had gone missing during the conflict. They also informed them of the ICRC
visit to Layoune in November, when the ICRC had met 24 persons whom the
Polisario Front had reported missing.

Further information: Pierre Ryter, ICRC Tunis, Tel.: ++ 216 71 960 179

Eritrea
Enhancing the Eritrean Health Service

On Saturday 1 December, 12 young Eritreans graduated as "associate
physiotherapists" from Asmara's College of Nursing and Health Science at a
ceremony presided over by the Minister of Health, Dr Saleh Meky. This is
the first such graduation of physiotherapists from the College since the
ICRC began a capacity-building programme in conjunction with Eritrea's
Ministry of Health. Only limited physiotherapeutic staff and facilities
had previously existed in Eritrea, and it was a domain identified for
development by the ICRC and the Ministry. In order to meet immediate
needs, the ICRC trained 10 health-care assistants in a six-month programme
covering the basic principles and practice. They graduated as assistant
physiotherapists in December 1999. Thus, 22 physiotherapists are now
qualified to provide vital services for patients suffering from a wide
range of cardiovascular, respiratory, surgical, orthopaedic and
neurological problems. The programme is designed and taught by two
full-time ICRC physiotherapy instructors and final examinations are graded
by outside ICRC experts. In addition to providing students with
educational materials and daily allowances, the ICRC has also distributed
physiotherapy equipment to seven hospitals to which the graduates are
assigned. Currently, there are 20students enrolled in the 18-month course
to become associate physiotherapists. They are due for graduation in June
2002. The ICRC and the Ministry of Health are now focusing on utilizing
this new-won expertise to maximum effect, ensuring that these new
health-care professionals are fully integrated into the Eritrean
health-care service.

Further information: Paul Conneally, ICRC Asmara, tel. ++2911 181 034

Argentina
On-line ICRC course for journalists

In November, the ICRC regional delegation in Buenos Aires launched an
interactive Internet course on the topic of "journalists and armed
conflict". The Spanish-language course was produced with the assistance of
a company that specializes in on-line training. The course consists of two
modules. The first introduces the ICRC, the International Red Cross and
Red Crescent Movement, and basic international humanitarian law. The
second deals with more specific subjects of interest to journalists on
dangerous assignments, such as legal factors and the type of assistance
the ICRC can offer when they are covering conflicts or humanitarian work.

The course is original and informative. It involves about 10 hours of
interactive on-line activity, with a succession of tasks, studies and
self-evaluation sections. Participants can also download additional course
material, print it out and study it off-line, and revise what they have
learned.

This is a pilot course, enabling the ICRC to evaluate the new distance
learning tools on offer and test them on people who are open to new
technologies but have little time available for traditional courses.
Initially, the course is being aimed at journalists in Argentina, Bolivia
and Chile. It has been highly successful, with 150 participants in the
first month. The press has helped promote the course, particularly by
carrying free adverts.

Further information: María Inés Peytrignet, ICRC Buenos Aires, Tel.: ++
5411 43 28 77 71 The course is at http://www.cicr.org/spa/america_latina
Select Cono Sur, then Curso online para periodistas


Nobel Symposium, Oslo
ICRC takes part in Peace Prize Centennial

One hundred years after Red Cross founder Henry Dunant shared the first
Nobel Peace Prize with Frédéric Passy, the Nobel Peace Prize Centennial
Symposium is being held this week in Norway. The Symposium provides a
venue for more than 30 Peace Prize laureates and many other distinguished
personalities to engage in dialogue on the general topic of "Conflicts of
the 20th century and solutions for the 21st". Vice-President Jacques
Forster is representing the ICRC and took part in a panel discussion on
"War and peace in the 20th century: The overall balance - how can we do
better?" on 6 December at the Holmenkollen Park Hotel in Oslo.

Henry Dunant's passionate devotion to the humanitarian cause inspired many
members of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to follow
his example over the past century. The ICRC itself was awarded the Nobel
Peace Prize three times: in 1917 and 1944, as a tribute to its
humanitarian activities during the two world wars, and in 1963, together
with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies,
on the occasion of the Movement's 100thanniversary.

The Nobel Prizes awarded to the ICRC and the International Red Cross and
Red Crescent Movement pay tribute to a noble mission: that of striving to
preserve humanity where it is most threatened in times of war and
disaster, in the midst of poverty and despair.

Further information: Antonella Notari, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++41 79 217 32 80
Please consult http://www.icrc.org, http://www.nobel.se/peace/

During the weekend of 8 - 9 December 2001, for all information please call
the press officer on duty Macarena Aguilar, on (mobile) 41 79 217 32 64