Twenty-eight United Nations international personnel remain in Baghdad,
including the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General, Mr Prakash Shah, and the
Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr. Hans von Sponeck, and representatives of agencies and
programmes. All United Nations international personnel in Baghdad are staying in the
United Nations offices at the former Canal Hotel.
On Saturday, 19 December United Nations staff in Baghdad moved about the city, trying
to assess damage and humanitarian needs. Representatives of United Nations agencies and
programmes have been going to their offices to maintain operations to the extent possible.
National staff continue to report for duty.
The Humanitarian Coordinator, Hans von Sponeck, and representatives of the UN's
humantiarian agencies in Baghdad are working on an assessment of current stocks of food
and other supplies. United Nations staff are in contact with the relevant Iraqi
authorities regarding food distribution in the centre and south of Iraq, which appears to
be continuing without evident problems. Some observations of food distribution are being
carried out by national staff of the World Food Programme (WFP).
The situation in the three northern governorates of Dahuk, Erbil and Sulaymaniyah
appears normal. The humanitarian programme in the 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 delivery of food to Sulaymaniyah from the WFP warehouse in Kirkuk is continuing.
After the explosion just outside the WFP warehouse in Mosul on 17 December, the deliveries
of food items to Dahuk and Erbil stopped, with very small quanitities of stocks left in
the warehouse.
Following the withdrawal of Lloyds Register staff on 15 December there have been no
authentication and certification of arrival services at Al-Walid, Trebil and Umm Qasr. At
Zakho seven Lloyds Register staff remain on duty and humanitarian supplies continue to
enter Iraq.
The Executive Director of the Iraq Programme is discussing with the relevant
authorities in Jordan the possibility of being permitted to inspect and authenticate on
Jordanian territory, humanitarian supplies destined for Iraq should the current situation
continue for more than a few days. Lloyds has maintained its teams as close to the borders
as possible, in order to continue inspection and authentication services if alternative
arrangements can be put in place.
OIP has been advised that there are about 100 vehicles at the Trebil border waiting to
enter Iraq.
The inspection agents for oil, Saybolt Nederland BV, remain on duty at Mina Al
Bakr,
Zakho and Ceyhan and report no interruption in the export of oil from Iraq.
