Summary: October 27, 2003: Commission Statement on the terrorist attack against the International Red Cross Committee in Baghdad (Brussels)
The Commission is shocked about the terrorist attack against the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Baghdad. The ICRC is an impartial, neutral and independent organisation whose exclusively humanitarian mission is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of war and internal violence and to provide them with assistance. The ICRC is not involved in the politics of the situation in Iraq. Its presence there is solely to deliver life-saving humanitarian aid.
The Commission would like to express its heartfelt sympathy to the relatives of the victims of this brutal attack. The Commission is concerned about the effect this terrorist act will have on the most vulnerable people who benefit from the ICRC's programme in Iraq.
The ICRC is an important partner of the European Humanitarian Aid Office's (ECHO) programme in Iraq, and has proved highly effective in delivering relief under exceptionally difficult circumstances. This attack confirms the extremely worrying trend of aid workers becoming targets in conflict situations: Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya and elsewhere.
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