The International Centre for Reconciliation

Today is the tenth anniversary of the imposition of UN sanctions against Iraq. It is also the tenth anniversary of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. With the Gulf War a decade behind us the devastating effects of that war continue to this day, that is for the people of Iraq.

Once one of the wealthiest countries in the Middle East, today Iraq is an impoverished nation where the most vulnerable live in poverty and destitution. Children and women are dying in there thousands each month. 1 in 4 children suffer severe malnutrition. Many die of leukaemia, many are born with severe congenital deformities. This is believed to be because of the depleted uranium we continue to drop on the poor and vulnerable of Iraq. The continued bombing of the nation has received little media coverage but has been almost continuous since December 1998. The sanctions have little effect on the leadership of Iraq but have been devastating for the masses.

The ICR has witnessed the devastation of Iraq with several visits in the past 18 months. Canon Andrew White the centres director stated

"Despite the fact that the past two UN Humanitarian Co-ordinators in Baghdad have resigned calling the sanctions regime unethical, the UN, Britain and the US continue to defend their actions, and deny any responsibility for the deaths of children. I am convinced that if any minister were willing to witness first hand Iraq's devastation they too would realise the folly of their policies".

Coventry Cathedral is awarding this years International Prize for Peace and Reconciliation to Count Hans von Sponeck, a former assistant secretary general of the UN who resigned from the UN after heading up the Baghdad office for just under two years.