ICRC Director General :We are not a humanitarian agency for one block or the other
" I came in the ME area, at this time especially because of what happened on the 11th of September in the attacks in New York and Washington in order to explain the position of ICRC after these events," said Director General of the International Committee of the Red Cross ICRC Paul Grossierder in a statement to Arabic News.
He added that since these it seems very important that in this new configuration the ICRC is still perceived, and this is we want to, as a neutral, impartial and independent body. The ICRC is still not a humanitarian organization for one bloc or the other, as simply preoccupied by all consequences of the vents of the 11th September and now especially with regard with what is going in Afghanistan. He added:" I came to this area of Arab states plus Israel, while the President of the ICRC went to Iran and the ICRC director of operations in Washington and probably we will do other missions as well," noting the Arab states are just part of the global number of capitals which we are visiting at the moment in relationship with the events of the 11th September.
About the situation in the Palestinian territories as a result of the Israeli attacks against the Palestinian Mr Grossrieder said the the ICRC does not approach Israel as a political body. We approach Israel in our capacity as guardians of Geneva Conventions which deal with occupied territories. He added that the ICRC is charged by the International community to check the way Israel is complying with the Geneva Convention in the occupied territories, the Golan and also should not forget East Jerusalem. He explained that what the ICRC does is touring the West bank in order to see what is going on. Is the Geneva Convention applied, because in the Geneva Convention you have plenty of provisions and we check if what " we see in the field" corresponds to what Israel does.
He added:" we observe the destruction of houses, for example which is forbidden by the Geneva Convention. We also see the settlements which is also a violation of article 49 of the 4th Geneva Convention.," adding:" we have also visited the Palestinian detainees in the hands of the Israeli authorities and there were also the Golanse. We also organize family visits and when they do not work we intervene to the Israeli authorities in order to approve.
He added that as for the Golanese detainees " I received in Damascus a group of young students from the Golan but studying in Damascus. They presented to me a letter where they underline some of the problems of their friend students facing in detention, asking for the intervention of ICRC to the Israeli authorities and I explained what we are doing especially the visits we arrange, following up trials of Arabs before the Israeli courts and following health conditions of the 12 Golanese detained by the Israeli authorities." Noting that they are not always happy with the answers given by the Israelis to their representations.
For the Lebanese detainees by the Israelis, the ICRC director general said that during his visit to Lebanon he met with the families of the two Lebanese detainees among other 31 held in the Israeli jails; Abdul Karim Obeid and Mustafa al-Deirani and with the Association for defense of Lebanese detainees.
He added that during his visit to Israel he has made several written representations and oral interventions to remind the Israelis that these detainees should be released because they were arrested and detained in relationship to occupation of South Lebanon and once the occupation is over detainees should be released.
He explained that the case of the two men is special because " we have not access to them. For Obeid. He added, we visited him between 1999-2001 but not any longer for several times but al-Deirani was never visited.
He added that when he was also in Israel he asked to visit the two men. " I hope that the Supreme Court in Israel might say something about these two cases and if the conclusion of the Supreme court is positive we will immediately ask for visiting them.
Mr. Grossrieder described as barbaric Israel's killing of three Palestinians gunmen who the Palestinian Authority said were wounded and then shot dead.
He said that It is something that is totally unacceptable. It is really barbarian to do such things on injured people." He added that this is a violation and it is also against the humanitarian law because they violate the basic rule in the Humanitarian Law which forbids in any situation to kill wounded, military wounded or civilian wounded. A wounded is a wounded and he has to be respected, well treated and taken care of. This is a rule and this is law.
On the US and Israel's boycotting of the conference proposed by the government of Switzerland to be held in Geneva on December 5th to protect civilians at times of war and what is the ICRC position in this regard, ICRC director general said this event is not ICRC conference. It is a conference among governments of states. He added because this is not ICRC conference, the participation is not a question the ICRC is responsible for. He explained that the ICRC considers any effort to try to improve the implementation of the 4th Geneva Agreement as positive. He added that at that conference the ICRC will take the floor to remind the participants with the nature of the International Humanitarian Law and the basic provisions in order to keep the conference with a legal framework and to try to avoid politicization.
He said that out of his visit to Syria he is looking for continuing co-operation with the Syrian authorities, co-operation in respect with the Golanese occupied territories " where the ICRC has an office for following what the ICRC is going on. He added:" Our delegation here in Damascus makes the follow up of the various activities." He said that he met during his two day- visit to Syria with the prime minister Muhammad Mustafa Miro, the minister of state for Foreign affairs, the minister of state for Red Crescent affairs and member of the Syrian parliament and spokesman for the Golan's people Midhat Saleh.
Mr. Grossrieder said: " I Presented the prime minister the aim of my mission. I developed the way I have seen the situation in the Palestinian territories. I reported on my interventions to the Israeli authorities, and in particular the situation in the occupied Golan."