War with Iraq - But at what cost? - Tonge

12.00.00am GMT Thu 30th Jan 2003

Speaking in advance of today's debate on the humanitarian cost of any war against Iraq, Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for International Development, Dr Jenny Tonge said,

"The infrastructure upon which millions of ordinary Iraqi lives depend is in so desperate a state that impending military action will result in a humanitarian disaster."

"Inept economic sanctions have only combined with Iraqi misgovernment to produce a hopelessly fragile state structure utterly unable to cope with the half a million casualties the UN estimates will result form any American military action to remove Saddam Hussein.

Let alone the millions of refugees who will flee through Iraq's heavily mined boarders, to camps even now barely able to provide food, water and shelter.

"Humanitarian contingency plans must be made in tandem with the current military preparations, but there is still a case for an immediate end to economic sanctions so long as the Iraqis are fully co-operating with the weapons inspectors."