106 UNITED NATIONS HUMANITARIAN STAFF IN BAGHDAD TEMPORARILY RELOCATED TO AMMAN, JORDAN
UNITED-NATIONS
Press Release
SG/SM/6845
IK/268
_________________________________________________________________
106 UNITED NATIONS HUMANITARIAN STAFF IN BAGHDAD TEMPORARILY RELOCATED TO
AMMAN, JORDAN
19981218
_________________________________________________________________
__The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for
Secretary-General Kofi Annan:
Due to the prevailing situation in Iraq, 106 United Nations staff
members with the humanitarian programme left Baghdad by road early
this morning for Amman, Jordan, for temporary relocation. For the past
few days, all United Nations personnel were staying at the Canal Hotel
in Baghdad, where the office of the United Nations office is located.
The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General, Prakash Shah, and the
Humanitarian Coordinator, Hans von Sponeck, remain in Baghdad along
with 26 United Nations personnel, including representatives of the
United Nations agencies and programmes. In addition, the programme
employs 578 national staff in the centre and south of Iraq.
The humanitarian programme in the three northern governorates, which
is implemented by the United Nations, on behalf of the Government of
Iraq, continues its operations without interruption. There are 232
international and 880 national United Nations personnel working with
the programme in the three northern governorates.
The United Nations remains fully committed to implementation of the
"oil-for-food" programme and expresses the hope that all those
relocated temporarily will soon resume their duties in Iraq.