Iraq (Hansard, 20 January 1992)

§ 33. Mr. Cohen
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what additional resources will be made available to improve health care for vulnerable groups in Iraq.

§ The Minister for Overseas Development (Mrs. Lynda Chalker)
I have recently approved an additional allocation of over £1 million in aid for vulnerable groups in both the north and south of Iraq. Last week, I approved a further £345,000 for the British Red Cross. On 8 January I called for a high-level meeting of donor countries to respond to the United Nations latest humanitarian appeal. That has been favourably received.

§ Mr. Cohen
Has the Minister seen the statement made at the weekend by the Red Cross stating that without aid, the whole of Iraq faces massive starvation? Has she seen the Quakers report which states that tens of thousands of children are in jeopardy and thousands will die because of the lack of essential medicines? Is it not now time to lift the economic sanctions that are killing people, including children, in Iraq and to inject a huge amount of those essential medicines which are in short supply there?

§ Mrs. Chalker
First, I pay tribute to the British Red Cross and the many non-governmental organisations which have provided help in Iraq supported by money from the Government. We shall continue to support them, as my main answer to the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen) made clear. However, with regard to the hon. Gentleman's request that we should lift sanctions, I am afraid that he is way out of line. The needs of the Iraqi people can be met by the release of $1.6 billion of oil which would finance the purchase of essential humanitarian supplies to relieve that suffering. We continue to help in the meantime, and at a diplomatic level, we are working extremely hard to have Security Council resolutions 706 and 712 implemented. When that is achieved, the problems referred to by the Red Cross and the Quakers report will be substantially minimised.

§ Miss Emma Nicholson
In paying tribute to those excellent voluntary organisations whom the Government have grant-aided to help vulnerable groups in Iraq, does not my right hon. Friend the Minister agree that Saddam Hussein has ensured the continuing torment and lack of help for his people, particularly for the southern Shias in the marshes?

§ Mrs. Chalker
My hon. Friend is right. Saddam Hussein continues to ignore the needs of the Iraqi people, particularly those in the south who have had less publicity than the Kurds in the north. Both need our help, but the help that they should be given is by their own Government, by the full implementation of resolutions 706 and 712. We are doing our best to make progress in the talks so that the Iraqi people will get the benefit of the export of Iraqi oil in the near future.

§ Mr. Winnick
Is it not clear to the Minister that we should be concerned, as my hon. Friend the Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen) has stated, about the plight of the people of Iraq and the starvation that is being caused? Is it not the case that as long as Saddam Hussein rules that 16 country—as long as that brutal and murderous despot continues in power—there will be absolutely no solution for people in that unhappy state?

§ Mrs. Chalker
The hon. Gentleman knows that I believe that the Iraqi people will be safeguarded for the long term and enable the international community to give long-term development aid to that country only when Saddam Hussein is no longer at the helm in Baghdad. It is a very serious situation. The humanitarian groups have done extremely well. Bearing in mind the £45 million which this country has given since April, I can assure the hon. Gentleman that we will continue to play our part. However, their only true relief, as everybody in the House and in the country knows, is for Saddam Hussein to be replaced.