RED CROSS IN KARABAKH
Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
04 Feb 05
In Nagorni Karabakh the International Committee of the Red Cross works
in three main directions: protection of people who suffered from the
armed conflict, aid to civilians and international humanitarian
rights. The director of the NKR office of the organization Mireille
Benard said that the Red Cross will work in the region until the
consequences of the war are felt, and the neutral mediation of the
organization in the solution of humanitarian problems is
necessary. `Being a neutral, impartial and independent organizationthe
ICRC fulfills an absolutely humanitarian mission for protecting the
dignity and life of victims of armed conflicts and home disorders. For
this reason the ICRC has worked in NKR since 1992. And today when
active military actions have been stopped, the Red Cross continues and
will continue to work until the consequences of the war are felt and
the neutral mediation of the organization for the solution of
humanitarian issues is a necessity. Therefore it is difficult to
predict when the activity of the ICRC will finish here,’ said
M. Benard. She mentioned that an important part of the organization’s
activity is the problem of the missing. Many families in Nagorni
Karabakh do not know anything about the fate of their relatives. The
Red Cross continues reminding the corresponding organizations about
their duties and this year they sent to these organizations the
renewed lists of the missing where more than 3000 names were
included. They are the people whose relatives directly turned to the
Red Cross. Mireille Benard appealed to the relatives of the missing to
apply to the Red Cross if they have not yet done. Mireille Benard
informed that the visits of the ICRC to the penitentiaries are
strictly confidential and observations are discussed only with the
corresponding bodies. Generally, along with the easing tensions ofthe
conflict the range of the activities of the Red Cross becomes
narrower. The large programs of aid have already been completed. The
program of first medical aid to the population still goes
on. Finishing the reconstruction of the 66 medical institutions of the
republic and providing necessary knowledge and materials to the
medical staff the Red Cross still supplies medicine to the regional
polyclinics of Martuni, Martakert and Hadrut and about 63 far-away
settlements. Although it is not in the framework of their
responsibilities,Mireille Benard said the Red Cross provides limited
aid to the poor families of Stepanakert which have missing relatives,
as well as sole pensioners who donot get any aid. According to her,
after the program of raising alertness of the population against mines
and unexploded ordnance in 2003 together with the Norwegian Red Cross
the ICRC launched the program of building safe playgrounds. The
program, according to M. Benard, is special as the village communities
actively participated in it. 40 playgrounds have been built. This
program has also been completed but the Karabakh office of the ICRC
will share its experience with those who wish to create such
playgrounds in other villages as well. In spreading the international
humanitarian right too the ICRC does important work. M. Benard said,
in secondary schools the fifth and seventh grade pupils get acquainted
with the international humanitarian principles through the Red Cross
textbooks.
SRBUHI VANIAN.
04-02-2005
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress