Clare Short: 'Our duty now is to minimise the suffering of the people of Iraq'

From a statement by the Overseas Development Secretary to the House of Commons

The immediate responsibility for humanitarian support to the people of Iraq, in the territory they occupy, lies with the US and UK military forces in line with their duties under the Geneva and Hague conventions. The most important humanitarian priority is to restore the operations of the Oil for Food programme.

The scale of this programme is massive. It spends $10bn per year and is funded by the sale of Iraqi oil. Almost all Iraqis receive assistance from the Oil for Food programme, and 16 million are totally dependent on it for their daily survival. It provides food, water, fuel, medicines and other basic requirements, and is organised through 45,000 local distribution centres, all run by Iraqis.

At the same time we are making preparations for the reconstruction of Iraq after the Saddam Hussein regime has gone. But it is clear that we can only rise to this challenge if we heal the rifts in the international community and engage all the major players in supporting the people of Iraq in rebuilding their country.

The UN has to provide a mandate for the reconstruction effort. This is a precondition for World Bank, IMF and many countries' engagement, and their engagement is key to the reforms needed to move the economy forward and to get agreement on debt rescheduling and a reparations strategy that will enable the Iraqi economy to recover and grow.

There is a sense of regret and dismay at the UN and in the IMF and World Bank about the divisions that were allowed to arise in the international community's handling of the Iraq crisis. There is agreement that our duty now is to minimise the suffering of the people of Iraq during the conflict, and to ensure that humanitarian relief and support for reconstruction are in place.