Humanitarian work to continue as safety guarantees sought

The UN’s Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, has urged Angolan government officials to ensure safe access for the provision of emergency humanitarian aid in the country as UN officials on Wednesday stressed that humanitarian work would not be compromised by the withdrawal of peacekeepers. Addressing a press briefing, UN spokesman Fred Eckhard said that during his four-day mission to Angola which ended on Monday, Griffiths discussed the future of humanitarian operations with representatives of the UN, NGO and donor community. Noting the growing number of vulnerable people in conflict areas, Griffiths stressed access to them should be unhindered. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan was due to meet the African Group of States on Wednesday to discuss the proposed withdrawal of the UN observer mission, MONUA. Several African countries have expressed concern over the implications of the pullout. Eckhard dismissed suggestions that the UN was abandoning Angola, but said the Secretary-General was responsible for the peacekeepers loaned by member states to carry out a political objective based on a peace agreement “which neither side - the government of Angola and UNITA - had any commitment to”. He also stressed that the UN Special Representative to Angola, Issa Diallo, had been unable to meet rebel UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi. “If you can’t speak to both sides, how can you do your job?,” he asked. “So on both the peacekeeping and the peacemaking side, we ran out of options.” In addition, he said the Angolan government had indicated it would not facilitate any meeting with Savimbi and therefore Diallo’s security could not be guaranteed. UN sources told IRIN on Wednesday the withdrawal of MONUA would not stop humanitarian operations going ahead. While procedures would have to be reassessed, especially security concerns, the situation on the ground indicated humanitarian work would proceed. The sources pointed out that humanitarian work was still continuing in conflict-torn countries such as Afghanistan and Sudan where there was no peacekeeping presence. Various options were now under discussion, including the Angolan government’s obligations under international law, as well as its moral duty towards humanitarianism. “There will be some changes, but the capacity is there,” the sources said.