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Limpdick NGO Oxfam pulls out prematurely
Oxfam Evacuates Iraq Due to Safety FearsAid Group Oxfam Withdraws From Iraq Because of Deteriorating Security Never actually intending to do any good works in Iraq anyway as blatant tools of the multilateralists... Severely edited for length and editorializing content unrelated to the article title. The Associated Press BAGHDAD, Iraq Aug. 27 â International relief agency Oxfam said Wednesday that it had pulled its foreign staff out of Iraq because the security level in the country had deteriorated to the point where the group could no longer operate. We had become prisoners of our own tastes and worldly pleasures. We found that the Arabs didnât appreciate us, so weâre going to leave. Weâll find someplace where "The risk level was becoming unacceptable for us, making it impossible for our programs to operate," Simon Springett, Oxfamâs program manager for Iraq told The Associated Press from Amman, Jordan. Once the UN got hit and the Red Cross bailed, we knew we had the political coverage we needed. We will pontificate endlessly on BBC, instead of actually trying to provide aid to anyone. We didnât sign up for that, you know, but please send your contributions to... Whores Without Borders, London, UK. Oxfam began withdrawing its 15 international staff members on Monday and completed the move within 48 hours, Springett said. The London-based aid group had been working on water and sanitation projects with UNICEF in Iraq. 2 months to move in. One RPG hit on a water main. 2 days to haul ass. Last weeks bombing of the U.N.âs Baghdad headquarters, which killed 23 and injured more than 100, was only one of the factors contributing to Oxfamâs decision, Springett said. But of course, we circled the SUVâs weeks ago and not one single entity has offered us room service or complimentary hors dâoeuvres at our Happy Hours. What sort of welcome or hospitality is that I ask you? "We felt international organizations were becoming increasingly targeted," he said. And we are desperate to be seen as an important Internaltional NGO, so we are acting now. "I think thereâs been a blurring of humanitarian and military operations in Iraq," Springett said. "Itâs setting a very dangerous precedent." Yes. You shoot your guns and try to get rid of the bad guys. We take peopleâs money, moan and groan, and occasionally deliver some stuff we bought on the cheap. Letâs keep the lines clearly drawn. He said he had spoken to several other aid groups that were also reviewing their security in Iraq. Weâve explained that there is power and safety in numbers. If we all pull out together, we can all cover our asses - we only need to get our stories straight, first. See you on BBC! Posted by: .com 2003-08-27 |
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