Episcopal Press and News

CWS Representatives Report on Iraqi Suffering

Episcopal News Service. January 23, 1997 [97-1672T]

(ENS) Two representatives of Church World Service (CWS), the humanitarian assistance arm of the National Council of Churches (NCC), recently returned from a mission to Baghdad, Iraq, with reports of desperate conditions there. David Weaver, CWS/NCC Middle East office director, and Mel Lehman, CWS constituency information and development director, went to Baghdad December 21-27 with food and medical supplies. "The conditions of the hospital to which we delivered medical supplies were even worse than the reports had indicated," Weaver said. "There is a near total lack of critical medicines and basic supplies, like sutures, blood bags, and catheters. Basic medical equipment like pumps and monitors have broken down and are unrepairable due to the lack of spare parts. Even beds, mattresses and blankets are falling apart." As early as December, 1995, Presiding Bishop Edmond Browning wrote to President Clinton urging him to "use your influence in the United Nations' Security Council to find a way to bring relief to the Iraqi people." Browning wrote that he was "extremely disturbed by recent reports that international economic sanctions against Iraq are causing widespread malnutrition and death among the Iraqi population, especially children." In his letter, Browning noted a Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations report that more than 500,000 children have died as a result of the sanctions against Iraq.