This morning local time 93 UN personnel left
Amman for Baghdad. They have crossed into Iraq and will arrive in Baghdad during the
evening. Seven dependents are also returning.
Yesterday, the independent inspection agents
(Lloyds Register) returned to work at the port of Umm Qasr and at Al Walid - the border
with Syria. By last night, they had cleared the backlog of 34 trucks at Al Walid.
This morning, the inspection agents resumed
working at Trebil - the border with Jordan. There's a backlog of around one hundred trucks
being cleared there.
The Executive Director of the Iraq Programme,
Benon Sevan, has asked the Humanitarian Coordinator, Hans von Sponeck and the United
Nations agencies in Iraq for an assessment of the impact of the military action on the
humanitarian situation with particular attention to installations and facilities related
to the oil for food programme. He has also requested them to provide information about
urgent humanitarian needs which need funding and resources from outside the oil for food
programme. These assessments should be completed in about one week.
Mr Sevan looks to donor governments and
organisations to respond generously to any additional needs identified by the humanitarian
agencies.
Mr Sevan briefed the Council this morning and
will will also brief the 661 Committee on these matters this afternoon.
