http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/1119-10.htmPublished on Friday, November 19, 2004 by the Agence France Presse
ICRC Slams 'Utter Contempt' for Humanity Amid Fierce Fighting in Iraq
GENEVA - The International Committee of the Red Cross sharply criticized the "utter contempt" for humanity shown by all sides in Iraq amid fierce fighting between US forces and insurgents for control of the city of Fallujah.
"We are deeply concerned by the devastating impact that the fighting in Iraq is having on the people of that country," said Pierre Kraehenbuehl, the ICRC's director of operations.
"As hostilities continue in Fallujah and elsewhere, every day seems to bring news of yet another act of utter contempt for the most basic tenet of humanity: the obligation to protect human life and dignity," he added.
"For the parties to this conflict, complying with international humanitarian law is an obligation, not an option," Kraehenbuehl said in an unusually tough statement by the relief agency.
..more..