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Interview With Antonia Paradela of the World Food Program

Aired April 10, 2003 - 13:34   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Relief agencies, meanwhile, are making a desperate plea for security across Iraq so they can deliver vital humanitarian aid. Clean drinking water is one of the many things in short supply across Iraq.
Joining me now here in Kuwait City to talk about the humanitarian situation is Antonia Paradela. She's with the World Food Program. Antonia, thanks very much for joining us.

How serious of a crisis is this? Forget about water. We know water is a huge issue. But food itself, for Iraqis.

ANTONIA PARADELA, WORLD FOOD PROGRAM: Food will become a massive crisis from May onward. We know that the Iraqi people got extra rations from the Iraqi government and they should run well into May. But from June onward, people will need food. The food was coming through the Oil For Food Program. This food is not coming anymore into the country. And the World Food Program will need to step in and feed 27 million Iraqis. It will be the largest humanitarian operation ever.

BLITZER: So they've -- they've -- renewed the Oil For Food -- the Oil For Food Program. What you're saying is there's not the infrastructure there to deliver the food there? There are warehouses full of food inside Iraq right now.

PARADELA: We have reports that some of these warehouses have been looted and that not that much food was really being led into the country to feed the whole population.

What we know also is that from the Security Council, we will have authorization to take the food into Iraq that was coming into the region, that was in the high seas literally. But we need massive sources because the oil is not flowing and (UNINTELLIGIBLE). We need to step in and feed practically the whole Iraqi population. It's a massive enterprise.

BLITZER: Well, as you know, retired U.S. Army General Jay Garner has a group prepared to begin the humanitarian effort on behalf of the U.S. government, the U.S. military. Are you working with him and his people to make sure that this food is distributed?

PARADELA: Any work to assist the Iraqi population is welcome. But the U.N. agencies like the World Food Program will work independently and will try to reach the Iraqi people through the Iraqi public distribution system that was in place and was efficient.

Of course, there is coordination with everybody. But we are very much working on our own from the point of view of reaching every single Iraqi.

BLITZER: But right now the U.S. military and the British military, the coalition, if you will, they're in charge of the security situation in the parts of Iraq that they've taken over. So you presumably have to work with them as well.

PARADELA: We have to liaise and that is strictly aid-liaison. But what is really important for us to work properly and deliver hundreds of thousands tons of food with more than 9, 000 trucks a month is that there is security on the ground, there is law and order and respect for property. And this is actually the responsibility of the U.S. and U.K. military since they are occupying armies in Iraq, under international law.

BLITZER: When you say they're occupying armies, they -- the U.S. government says they're not occupiers, they're liberators.

PARADELA: Under international law -- and I don't want to enter here into any political debate -- but the definition is that they're occupying a country and their duty is to look after the welfare of the population and also the issues of law and order and respect for property. It is important for the Iraqi people and it will be fundamental for the work of the humanitarian agencies to work safely. These scenes of looting we are seeing are very worrisome.

BLITZER: So what needs to be done immediately right now?

PARADELA: What we want is that the situation might be safer that some sort of policing might take place. I mean, hopefully, with involvement of the local communities so we can go in, do our assessments and start working. It's a massive enterprise, as I was saying, reaching 27 million people. We've never done anything remotely like this. It's the first time -- as much as what we've managed to do in Afghanistan at the height of the war.

BLITZER: And what you're saying is that the food that was distributed before the war, right now, that's come to a halt?

PARADELA: The distributions have come to a halt. We've seen scenes of the little food that was inside Iraq being looted. But people have food at home -- those who are at home and haven't lost their home or haven't been displaced -- these people have food at home. We have a few weeks to work, but the clock is ticking. We should be in Iraq working as soon as possible. We're just waiting for the security situation to stabilize.

BLITZER: So right now, it's April. But you're saying by May, June, this could be huge humanitarian crisis.

PARADELA: It will be a massive humanitarian crisis. The poorest Iraqis will be running out of food and eventually the whole country will need food because they were very dependent on food imports. BLITZER: Antonia Paradela of the World Food Program, thanks so much for joining us.

PARADELA: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired April 10, 2003 - 13:34   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Relief agencies, meanwhile, are making a desperate plea for security across Iraq so they can deliver vital humanitarian aid. Clean drinking water is one of the many things in short supply across Iraq.
Joining me now here in Kuwait City to talk about the humanitarian situation is Antonia Paradela. She's with the World Food Program. Antonia, thanks very much for joining us.

How serious of a crisis is this? Forget about water. We know water is a huge issue. But food itself, for Iraqis.

ANTONIA PARADELA, WORLD FOOD PROGRAM: Food will become a massive crisis from May onward. We know that the Iraqi people got extra rations from the Iraqi government and they should run well into May. But from June onward, people will need food. The food was coming through the Oil For Food Program. This food is not coming anymore into the country. And the World Food Program will need to step in and feed 27 million Iraqis. It will be the largest humanitarian operation ever.

BLITZER: So they've -- they've -- renewed the Oil For Food -- the Oil For Food Program. What you're saying is there's not the infrastructure there to deliver the food there? There are warehouses full of food inside Iraq right now.

PARADELA: We have reports that some of these warehouses have been looted and that not that much food was really being led into the country to feed the whole population.

What we know also is that from the Security Council, we will have authorization to take the food into Iraq that was coming into the region, that was in the high seas literally. But we need massive sources because the oil is not flowing and (UNINTELLIGIBLE). We need to step in and feed practically the whole Iraqi population. It's a massive enterprise.

BLITZER: Well, as you know, retired U.S. Army General Jay Garner has a group prepared to begin the humanitarian effort on behalf of the U.S. government, the U.S. military. Are you working with him and his people to make sure that this food is distributed?

PARADELA: Any work to assist the Iraqi population is welcome. But the U.N. agencies like the World Food Program will work independently and will try to reach the Iraqi people through the Iraqi public distribution system that was in place and was efficient.

Of course, there is coordination with everybody. But we are very much working on our own from the point of view of reaching every single Iraqi.

BLITZER: But right now the U.S. military and the British military, the coalition, if you will, they're in charge of the security situation in the parts of Iraq that they've taken over. So you presumably have to work with them as well.

PARADELA: We have to liaise and that is strictly aid-liaison. But what is really important for us to work properly and deliver hundreds of thousands tons of food with more than 9, 000 trucks a month is that there is security on the ground, there is law and order and respect for property. And this is actually the responsibility of the U.S. and U.K. military since they are occupying armies in Iraq, under international law.

BLITZER: When you say they're occupying armies, they -- the U.S. government says they're not occupiers, they're liberators.

PARADELA: Under international law -- and I don't want to enter here into any political debate -- but the definition is that they're occupying a country and their duty is to look after the welfare of the population and also the issues of law and order and respect for property. It is important for the Iraqi people and it will be fundamental for the work of the humanitarian agencies to work safely. These scenes of looting we are seeing are very worrisome.

BLITZER: So what needs to be done immediately right now?

PARADELA: What we want is that the situation might be safer that some sort of policing might take place. I mean, hopefully, with involvement of the local communities so we can go in, do our assessments and start working. It's a massive enterprise, as I was saying, reaching 27 million people. We've never done anything remotely like this. It's the first time -- as much as what we've managed to do in Afghanistan at the height of the war.

BLITZER: And what you're saying is that the food that was distributed before the war, right now, that's come to a halt?

PARADELA: The distributions have come to a halt. We've seen scenes of the little food that was inside Iraq being looted. But people have food at home -- those who are at home and haven't lost their home or haven't been displaced -- these people have food at home. We have a few weeks to work, but the clock is ticking. We should be in Iraq working as soon as possible. We're just waiting for the security situation to stabilize.

BLITZER: So right now, it's April. But you're saying by May, June, this could be huge humanitarian crisis.

PARADELA: It will be a massive humanitarian crisis. The poorest Iraqis will be running out of food and eventually the whole country will need food because they were very dependent on food imports. BLITZER: Antonia Paradela of the World Food Program, thanks so much for joining us.

PARADELA: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com