§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on humanitarian conditions in northern Iraq; and what representations he has made to the United Nations to alleviate the conditions of the Iraqi Kurds.
§ Mr. Lennox-Boyd[holding answer 23 October 1992]: The situation in northern Iraq gives cause for the gravest concern. The continuing blockade of Kurdish areas by the Government of Iraq has resulted in serious shortages of food, fuel and other essential supplies. A major international relief operation, led by the United Nations, is needed to ensure that stocks of relief supplies are moved into these areas before the onset of winter.
We provided two members of a joint EC/US needs assessment mission which has just returned from northern Iraq. We await their full report.
We have pressed the United Nations to hasten its relief operation, to which we are ready to contribute. We therefore welcome the recent announcement of the signing of the latest memorandum of understanding between the United Nations and the Government of Iraq, which will form a basis for further United Nations action.