Red Cross Begins Assistance to Residents of South Ossetia | Voice of America - English
The International Committee of the Red Cross says its delegates are assessing the humanitarian situation in South Ossetia and have begun administering to the needs of the resident population.  The ICRC says a 17-member team, which arrived in the Georgian breakaway region on Wednesday, surveyed conditions in the capital, Tshkinvali on Thursday and is continuing its mission Friday.  Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from ICRC headquarters in Geneva.The International Committee of the Red Cross says its aid workers, contrary to some reports, found that the main hospital in Tshkinvali was not completely
The International Committee ofthe Red Cross says its aid workers, contrary to some reports, foundthat the main hospital in Tshkinvali was not completely destroyed,though some buildings in this large complex were damaged. The 17-member team includes a surgeon, orthopedic specialist, water and habitat specialist and an assistance specialist. RedCross spokeswoman, Anna Nelson, says the team is meeting with hospitaltechnicians Friday to see what needs to be done to improve the waterand sanitation supply systems. "The team was told by doctors onThursday that all 223 people who had been wounded in the conflict andtaken to the hospital, had already been transferred to medicalfacilities in the Russian Federation," she said. "The team was able tosee more of the city on Thursday. They say that there seems to beabout half the normal population in the city. This is, of course, justan estimate. Earlier reports had indicated that the city was mainlyempty so the number of people currently there could be an indicatorthat some displaced have returned home," she continued. In some parts of thecity, the Red Cross team reports seeing buildings destroyed, includingthe library, windows blown out of buildings and covered with plastic. In some of the buildings, it says the electricity and water suppliesare up and running with some occasional cuts. They saysupplies, such as oil and fruit juice can be found in the stores, butresidents are mainly receiving their meals from the Russiangovernment's emergency agency. In the meantime, the UN refugeeagency reports High Commissioner, Antonio Guterres, is visiting SouthOssetia Friday, thanks to the intercession of Russian foreign minister,Sergei Lavrov. Guterres is the first senior international official totravel to South Ossetia since the conflict between Russia and Georgiaerupted in early August. UNHCR spokesman, Andrej Mahecic,says his aim is to evaluate the humanitarian situation, get afirst-hand view of the conditions for the return of those uprooted bythe crisis, as well as the possibilities for humanitarian access. "UNHCRwill continue its humanitarian assistance based in a strictlynon-political approach while stressing the non-discriminatory nature ofhumanitarian action for all of the people affected by the conflict andemphasizing the right of return for all of the displaced regardless ofethnicity, religion or political affiliation," he said. While the Red Cross and UNHCR have been able to enter South Ossetia, other aid agencies continue to be sidelined. TheUnited Nations is renewing its call for access to South Ossetia. Itsays its many specialized agencies, such as the World Food Program andWorld Health Organization, have resources that other internationalagencies do not have. It says they would complement and add value tothe humanitarian work currently being carried out by the InternationalCommittee of the Red Cross.