(5 Aug 1997) English/Nat
The European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid, Emma Bonino is in Baghdad.
During her visit, which started on Monday, she'll meet Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz and other key ministers to assess the humanitarian situation in Iraq.
Baghdad has been hard hit by economic sanctions imposed by the United Nations since the Gulf War.
Emma Bonino arrived in Baghdad on Monday representing the European Union's commission for humanitarian Organisation ( ECHO ).
She is the first senior E-U official to visit Iraq since the 1990-91 Gulf War.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"The nature is humanitarian assessment mission, as you know the European Union has been providing humanitarian aid since '91, so I usually do a visit to the field where we have humanitarian projects".
SUPER CAPTION: Emma Bonino, representative of the European Community Humanitarian Organisation (ECHO)
Since 1991, the E-U has poured 300 (m) million U-S dollars into humanitarian aid projects in Iraq.
Working with the Red Cross, European N-G-O's and the United Nations, they have been working to supply health care to stricken Iraqi towns and villages.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"In the projects I saw, dealing with clean water, it's really a priority if I can understand, but I think I can be more precise at the end of my visit - I'm just arrived".
SUPER CAPTION: Emma Bonino, representative of the European Community Humanitarian Organisation (ECHO)
Bonino was planning a brief stay in Baghdad before leaving for the north which has been under Kurdish control since the end of the Gulf War. During her trip there, she'll visit some of the E-U sponsored humanitarian projects.
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