Work

Baroness Nicholson visits Lebanon and launches appeal for medical aid

Press release

Amman, 15th August 2006. 

Following a 2 day visit to Lebanon, Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne MEP said, “the rules of war need to be completely re-written.”

Witness to a fierce bombardment of the Shiyah suburb of Beirut just before the ceasefire came into effect, Baroness Nicholson said “I believe this is the first time since 1945 that wholesale aerial bombardment of civilian areas has taken place.  When the American’s bombed Iraq and Afghanistan mistakes were made, but they targeted specific buildings with known terrorists in them.  It cannot be compared to what I have seen here.  There is no logic to the bombing of Lebanon’s civilian areas. It is completely random. This is not war; it is the slaughter of the innocents.

“There is a real risk that Lebanon’s traditional pluralistic democracy is undermined”, she continued.  “Lebanon has an old and well established tradition of democracy and a remarkable record of ethnic tolerance. But if this conflict goes on people will be driven to the extremist factions, and nobody wants that.  It may have a fatal impact on the drive to introduce democracy in the Middle East.”

During her 2 day visit to Lebanon, Baroness Nicholson met the President, the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the Parliament, the leaders of the Parliamentary factions, the religious leaders, representatives of WHO, the UN and civil society.  Although access is restricted to the south of the country by the Israeli Army, she was escorted into the southern zone by the Lebanese Military. 

“It looks like Armageddon has been visited on these people”, said the Baroness by phone from Amman, “I saw hundreds of people living in a park, with absolutely no shelter for over 4 weeks.  I spoke to one woman who had 14 children, no money and nowhere to go.  I saw another man with gangrene; if they don’t amputate his legs immediately he will die.”

Getting into Lebanon is extremely difficult as the Israeli Defence Forces have cut off virtually all civilian and aid flights.  Baroness Nicholson travelled in a Hercules aircraft on a UAE (United Arab Emirates) aid flight. 
 
The Baroness described the landing: “I don’t know how we managed to land as the airport has been completely bombed and the runway is full of craters.  There was one small strip of unbroken surface we landed on and then the plane weaved through the craters in order to reach the terminal.  But it was a great privilege to be with the Lebanese people at this time.”

Much of Lebanon’s building stock and transport infrastructure has been destroyed by the bombing campaign.  “In order to understand the scale of the destruction” the Baroness explained, “we worked out some comparative terms.  If you laid all the destroyed buildings end to end it would be comparable in length to 1,200 football pitches.  An estimated 4.1 million square metres of the built environment has been demolished.”

“When we look back at these 5 weeks of carnage and destruction all of the nations will feel the guilt for what has been allowed to happen here” the Baroness concluded.
Notes to editors:

The AMAR foundation, chaired by Baroness Nicholson, is launching an appeal for funds for medical support for Lebanon. The foundation plans to send medical supplies to Lebanon and work with Lebanese health professionals.

Baroness Nicholson was accompanied by AMAR photographer Angus Beaton, contact details: +44 796 166 981

Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne, MEP, is the vice chairman of the European Parliament’s committee on Foreign Affairs.  Her stated priorities in this role are women’s and children’s rights as well as the Islamic World.  This visit to Lebanon was organised privately.
AMAR foundation: http://www.amarappeal.com/