INDEPENDENT NEWS

Cablegate: Tfiz01: Turkish Red Crescent Aid Shipment En

Published: Tue 29 Apr 2003 03:10 PM
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS ANKARA 002781
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR PRM/ANE, EUR/SE AND NEA/NGA
DEPT PASS USAID FOR BHA/OFDA - WGARVELINK
EUCOM FOR JE, JR, J5, SOJ7 AND POLAD
GENEVA FOR RMA
CENTCOM FOR J3, J5 AND POLAD
KUWAIT FOR HOC AND MDRO
SENSITIVE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID MOPS IZ TU
SUBJECT: TFIZ01: Turkish Red Crescent Aid Shipment En
Route to Baghdad
Ref: Ankara 2660
(SBU) Early on April 29, Feza Ozturk, Department Head for
International Political Organizations, contacted Mission
Disaster Relief Officer (MDRO) to advise that the Turkish
Red Crescent (TRC) convoy delivering medicines, food and
water to hospitals in Iraq had changed its destination and
would now deliver supplies directly to unspecified
hospitals in Baghdad. TRC had previously planned to
deliver relief supplies directly to hospitals in Kirkuk
and Mosul, although this was not coordinated with ICRC.
Embassy had passed this itinerary to the Kuwait
Humanitarian Operations Center (HOC) on April 24 and 25.
Instead, TRC delivered two truckloads of supplies to one
hospital in Kirkuk, and decided early on April 29 to
proceed to hospitals in Baghdad the same day. MFA and TRC
told us this had been done with the approval of U.S.
military forces on the ground, but Embassy and Task Force
North have not been able to verify this. We also advised
MFA and TRC that Baghdad was not a permissive environment
and that the convoy would be exposing itself to
considerable risks. Ozturk told MDRO that as of about
17:30 local time, the convoy, with five truckloads of
supplies, was approximately 60 kilometers from Baghdad and
was accompanied by a U.S. escort. TRC confirmed this
information, and said they had the permission of a General
McDonald or MacDonald to proceed. He said the TRC planned
to deliver its supplies to three hospitals in Baghdad
(Ibni El Nefs Cardiology Hospital, El Wahsati Plastic
Surgery Hospital and the Central Children's Hospital), to
overnight in Baghdad, and to return to Turkey on April 30.
Pearson
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