Two ships bound for Iraq with 56,000 tonnesw of wheat

AS-SALIYAH, Qatar (AFP) Apr 05, 2003
Two ships carrying a total of 56,000 tonnes of wheat, enough to feed 4.5 million Iraqis for a month, are bound for the southern Iraqi port of Umm Qasr, a US military spokesman said here Saturday.

Navy Captain Frank Thorp, speaking at US Central Command's forward planning headquarters in Qatar said at least one of the ships was coming from the United States.

He was unable to identify the origin of the second shipment nor to say who had provided what. However,he said that "both ships have 28,000 metric tonnes of wheat on board".

"That's enough to feed about 4.5 million Iraqis for a month."

Navy units from the United States, Britain and Australia have been clearing mines from the Khawr Abd Allah waterway linking Umm Qasr and the Gulf to allow for the delivery of humanitarian supplies.

Thorp also said Iraqi engineers and technicians had joined international aid workers in repairing two water treatment plans in southern Iraq.

"More than 80,000 Iraqis have water today who haven't had water since March 22," he said.

The coalition launched its attack on Iraqi forces on March 20.

Coalition commanders are anxious to follow up the military campaign with measures to improve the lives of the civilian population, the goal being to convince Iraqis that allied troops are more than simply an occupation force.

"We have worked to secure key bridges and infrastructure for future use, and we have begun to really accelerate the infusion of humanitarian assistance into the country," Air Force Major General Victor Renuart, director of operations at US Central Command, said Saturday.

The World Food Program delivered 1,000 metric tonnes of wheat on Friday and has built up "substanial stockpiles" of cooking oil, coffee, flour and other essentials at a warehouse in Basra, Iraq's second largest city.

Other non-governmental organizations have begun supplying families with kerosone for domestic heaters, while trucks carrying humanitarian aid have entered Iraq from Turkey and Jordan, Renuart said.

In addition, "a water pipeline was constructed and is completed now from Kuwait into Umm Qasr, up to Al Zubayr," meaning that water for Basra is "almost completely restored" after having been shut off by fighting in the region.

SPACE.WIRE