ANKARA - German Ambassador to Turkey Rudolf Schmidt said on Monday that the German government could ensure humanitarian assistance to Turkish Red Crescent for possible refugees if necessary.
Schmidt met with Red Crescent's Chairman Ertan Gonun.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Gonun said that he gave information to Schmidt about the preparations in the region close to Iraq.
German Ambassador Schmidt said in his part that the efforts of Turkish and German governments to solve the Iraqi crisis peacefully were not successful.
Schmidt said that ''we came here to say that the German government was in a position to ensure humanitarian assistance if necessary. The German government said that the funds that could be transferred to international institutions were ready.''
Upon a question about the studies regarding the refugees, Gonen said that Red Crescent was ready to serve 50,000 persons now. Gonun stressed that if the flow of refugees increased, the stocks for another 50,000 persons were kept in Elazýg, Erzurum and Adana depots. Gonen pointed out that these supplies could be transferred to the region within 4-5 hours.
(ÖS-AÖ) 24.03.2003