(28 Jul 2004) SHOTLIST
1. Exterior shot of Medecins Sans Frontieres headquarters with staff walking inside
2. Close up of sign reading "no weapons"
3. Wide shot press conference
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Kenny Gluck, MSF Director of Operations (Holland office):
"We have taken this very difficult decision because we feel that the framework for independent humanitarian action in Afghanistan at present has simply evaporated for us. This is principally seen in the assassination of 5 of our colleagues who were murdered at Badghis province on Jun 2nd of this year. The lack of a framework of humanitarian action, the lack of respect for the safety of aid workers is also unfortunately seen in the governments, either unwillingness or inability, to provide a credible investigation of these atrocity and to provide a sufficient legal follow-up in a terms of arrest and prosecution of those who are guilty.
5. Cutaway reporters
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Kenny Gluck, MSF Director of Operations (Holland office):
"On a top of this we are in a situation where an alleged Taliban spokesperson has declared publicly that MSF will be a target in a future and made allegations that MSF staff have been working in the interest of the Americans. We fully reject these allegations. I think that Afghans throughout the country who have dealt with MSF medical staff over the last 24 years know full-well that MSF is there solely in the interests of the health of their patients."
7. Cutaway
8. SOUNDBITE (english) Marine Buissonniere, MSF International Secretary:
"We feel that the US backed coalition has contributed to the blurring the identities. The US backed coalition has constantly sought to use humanitarian assistance and co-opt humanitarian assistance to build support for its military and political ambitions and MSF denounces this attempts to co-opt humanitarian aid, to use humanitarian aid to win hearts and minds."
9. Cutaway
10. SOUNDBITE (English) MSF Director of Operations (Holland office):
"We have raised these concerns clear in 2001 when Colin Powell (US Secretary of State) called us - force multipliers and members of the combat team against terror. These are kind of statements which completely undermine the notion of a humanitarian assistance as an aid to people caught in conflict. It is a deliberate attempt to put as in one side of the conflict."
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Major Jon Siepmann, Coalition Spokesman in Afghanistan:
"I can tell you many other NGO's (non-government organisations) are here and operating effectively and I would use that to answer your question. We certainly encourage governmental and non-governmental organisations to come here and help the Afghan people. That's what we're doing and we believe security is effective for them to do that and it is regrettable to see anyone pull out of helping the Afghan people. We don't think that security is an effective excuse to do that."
12. Close up of US Flag on the Major's arm
13. Major walking away
STORYLINE
The Nobel prize-winning relief agency Medecins Sans Frontieres announced Wednesday it was withdrawing from Afghanistan because of the slayings of five of its staff in June, fear of further attacks and its frustration with the U.S. military.
"We have taken this very difficult decision because we feel that the framework for independent humanitarian action in Afghanistan at present has simply evaporated for us," MSF Director of Operations, Kenny Gluck said in a press conference in Kabul.
The group complained that American-led forces were using humanitarian aid "for political and military motives."
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