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Tehran welcomes international quake assistance

Tehran will welcome all forms of international assistance in the wake of last weekend's violent earthquake in northwestern Iran, IRIN learnt on Wedenesday. The quake, resulting in 237 dead and over 1,300 injured, left thousands of people homeless. "We would like to have assistance in the area of basic infrastructure rehabilitation, especially with regard to water, sanitation and health," Mostafa Mohaghegh, director general of the international affairs department of the Iranian Red Crescent Society told IRIN from the Iranian capital, Tehran. His comments follow those of Iranian President Mohammad Khatami who in a report by the official Iranian News Agency (IRNA) on the same day said his government would accept all assistance offered. The President has called for full mobilisation of all governmental and non-governmental organs to restore quake-hit areas to normalcy, the report added. Following a visit to the devastated village of Abdareh - 225 km west of Tehran - in northwest Qazvin province, Khatami emphasised they were not in need of foodstuff and first aid, but would appreciate receiving cash and equipment which would enable them to help the survivors. Saturday's quake, measuring 6.3 on the Richter Scale, devastated some 70 villages in the provinces of Qazvin, Hamadan and Zanjan. Destruction in the villages ranged from 10 to 90 percent, with 2,000 hectacres of farmland destroyed. One nation ready to respond to the relief call was the United States - a country long at odds with Iran. Washington said on Tuesday that Tehran had accepted an offer of US humanitarian assistance following a formal request by the Iranian President, adding efforts were now underway to get the material to the quake-stricken area. According to the AFP report, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said: "We have heard officially from them and steps are under way to get that moving," he told reporters. "We'll have to work out with them how to make it go." The offer of assistance followed a message sent to the Iranian people by US President George Bush stating his condolences and those of the American people to the families of the many victims in the cities and villages affected. "Human suffering knows no political boundaries. We stand ready to assist the people of Iran as needed and as desired," he said. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that the situation was under control following an assessment by the United Nation's Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) Team on Monday. According to the report, five or six villages had been totally destroyed and that all families were living in tents and were being provided with food. A UN assessment mission, comprised of UNDP, WHO, WFP and UNICEF, was immediately dispatched to the area and concluded that water, sanitation supplies and generators to be the main areas of need. "From what we know, water tanks, sanitation equipment, disinfectants are still badly needed," UNICEF programme officer, Luc Chauvin told IRIN from Tehran. "On the health side, things seem to be under control, but we are ready to assist further if necessary." Originally earmarked for Afghanistan, on Tuesday, UNICEF handed over 20 mt of water supplies in the country to provincial authorities in Qazvin - the worst hit area. Additionally the agency will be starting programmes to alleviate trauma amongst children affected. "This is the first time such interventions will be conducted after an earthquake in Iran," Chauvin said, noting hundreds of children had been impacted and undoubtedly would need post-trauma assistance. Focusing on children between the ages of 0 and eight, he said UNICEF already had trained local experts for the effort. Meanwhile, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies launched an appeal on Tuesday to assist some 25,000 people left homeless by the quake. Some US $2.3 million was called for in the effort, with money to be channeled through the Iranian Red Crescent. The appeal fund will be used to purchase food, tents, medicines and medical supplies as well as water and sanitation materials and equipment - including pumps, tanks and water purification tablets. "There is pressure on the health infrastructure and widespread damage to the water supply system. We are particularly concerned to ensure that people have adequate access to clean water, and thus prevent the spread of disease," noted Iain Logan, operations manager for the Federation in Geneva.

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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