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| Iraq |
| Aid ship nears Iraqi port |
| 2003-03-28 |
| The Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Sir Galahad, loaded with aid, is nearing the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr after two days of delays due to Iraqi mines and storms. The ship is carrying some 500 tons of emergency food, blankets, clothing and fresh water, destined for Iraqi civilians. It had been due to dock on Wednesday, paving the way for more supplies to follow. British military sources said on Thursday mines had been destroyed, but the priority was to ensure the channel is clear before any ships proceed to port. The mines were detonated by clearance teams after being discovered outside areas of water that had already been "swept", the Royal Navy said. The BBC's Owen Bennett-Jones, who is on the ship, said the cargo transporter was proceeding cautiously. "Teams of minesweepers, some working with dolphins, have cleared a channel 50 miles long, but only 200 metres wide," he said. Flipper joins the war effort. "The Sir Galahad is moving up the channel slowly following the route taken by a specialist minehunting vessel, HMS Sandown." The captain of the ship has emptied the vessel's rear fuel tanks as a precaution in case the ship was hit. The food supplies are mainly rice, lentils, chickpeas and water. "Once that's ashore, the task will be to deliver the supplies to those that need them and that won't be easy," our correspondent said. "Most of southern Iraq remains insecure. But the Sir Galahad's voyage is meant to send a signal that the British government is serious not only about the military campaign in Iraq, but also about the humanitarian aid effort." The UN has warned the looming humanitarian crisis in Iraq could be the biggest such problem the organisation had faced. No, it's a big problem for us, not the UN. They have been desperate to get the port of Umm Qasr open to get supplies in to southern Iraq. And notice, it's the Allies who get it done, not the UN. The Iraqis say this is lies, all lies! Iraqi Defense Minister General Sultan Ahmad Hashim on Friday strongly ruled out claims that the port of Umm Qasr has been captured by the coalition forces, saying it is fully under Iraqis' control. Radio Baghdad quoted Hashim as saying that the Iraqi Army's 45 brigade was in full control of Umm Qasr. US and Britain claim Umm Qasr has collapsed. So make sure you don't believe any of this. And ignore the video... |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #3 I was watching the unloading on FoxNews this morning. Seemed like Umm Qasr was under control. |
| Posted by: Fred 2003-03-28 13:42:37 |
| #2 BTW, BBC now reports RFAS Sir Galahad has arrived at Um Qasr and is unloading 650 tons of supplies. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2003-03-28 08:18:07 |
| #1 "No, it's a big problem for us, not the UN. " Kinda like when a management consultant tells a client that "we" have a problem, when its really the clients problem, that the consultant wants to be paid to help solve. Kofi, at least, has the good sense to understand that the UN needs "business" to survive, and to understand that the US is a far better "client" than the axis of weasels. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2003-03-28 08:12:43 |