Dr. Colette Moulaert from Baghdad: “Strike against war!”

"We are OK here. Last night there were air raids for about three hours. Some of the attacks were only some hundreds of meters away, less than one kilometer. Hotel Palestine, our hotel, is on the banks of the Tigris and it was at the other side. We don’t know what they targeted. According to the Iraqi TV many were injured in Basra. But apparently the Iraqis put up fierce resistance and the US soldiers had a hard time. Iraq says they downed an American aircraft. There are also reports about American casualties."

I ask whether she and her colleague Dr. Geert Van Moorter went to an air-raid shelter during the bombings. “No, because the Iraqis didn’t advise us to. Referring to Al-Ameriya, they say the shelters provide little protection." (Al-Ameriya was the civilian bunker where 408 died when it was hit during the Gulf War.)

Were the doctors of Medical Aid for the Third World able to visit more hospitals? “We wanted to go together with the journalists but they had other objectives so it didn’t work out. This morning we want to arrange our permit to practice medicine. We would like to spend the night in the hospital. We have a wonderful team with our Algerian friends. There’s also a surgeon from Jordan among them. He wants to join us. That would be great: an emergency specialist (Geert), a pediatrician (Colette) and a surgeon.”

And what is the reaction of the Iraqis to the attacks? “We weren’t able to talk to many people. There are only few people left in Baghdad. Anybody who had the opportunity has left for the countryside or has brought his family to safety. Apparently, they are anticipating protracted and fierce battles here in the city.”

Colette asks me how the people in Belgium, in Europe and the whole world react to the war. I tell her about the thousands of demonstrators in Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent and other cities; about the high school students who walked out on their classes to join the rallies; about the demonstrators in Brussels who refused to go away from the US embassy and stayed from before 5 to past 8 p.m. “That’s great,” Colette shouts, “that will boost the people’s morale here!”

I tell Colette that many people I met at the rally asked me to convey their support and appreciation to her and Geert in Baghdad. She tells me that many peace activists of the 'Human Shields' are still near civilian targets that can be attacked anytime… “You’ll have to intensify the resistance against the war,” she says. “What about a call for a strike? You could ask my friends in Caterpillar! There also happen to be two children in our hotel. When you would see the fear in their eyes… It is really necessary to stop this war!"