Belgian doctors launch an urgent appeal to the international community 

Wednesday March 26, 1 a.m. Dr. Geert Van Moorter on the phone from Baghdad  

“Together with Dr. Colette Moulaert, I went around the city the past few days. Some shops are still open, bakers are still baking bread and vegetables and fruit are still available. But the food situation is becoming critical and prices are rising. Fortunately food distribution is well organized by the Iraqi government. But when the advancing US troops would disrupt the supply lines, the whole population could starve.  

Today there were several power disruptions. We learned that Basra has been without water and electricity for the past five days. The whole city is taken hostage because of the US aggression. As doctors we cannot but call this a human rights violation, or even a crime against humanity.  

The population of Baghdad is relatively calm, in spite of the continuing air raids. We can see more armed civilians on the corners of the streets. They show us their weapons spontaneously and with pride. They say they are ready to resist the US-British attacks and add that they will not surrender soon. We are afraid that the US military will use indiscriminate violence in an attack on Baghdad and that they will use heavy and dirty weapons against the fierce Iraqi resistance. Definitely, there will be many civilian casualties.  

There is only one way to prevent the impending massacre and humanitarian disaster: stop the advance of the US troops and call back Bush and his military. As doctors who want to prioritize preventive medicine—the prevention of death, disease and injury—we launch an urgent appeal to our colleagues and the whole international community: go all out to stop the US aggression. Take action to make the US abandon its war of aggression. Demand the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq and the restoration of respect for international law and Iraq’s sovereignty. It is in the interest of the Iraqi people’s health and life.”