1. SECURITY

Iraq

• The country is in Security phase V. Extensive looting reported in Basra and in parts of Baghdad.
• The Coalition in Jordan advises that the transportation corridors through western Iraq are not considered secure. They further advise relief agencies to refrain from sending staff or commodities through western Iraq until these transportation corridors are secure.
  

Jordan

• Jordan in is UN Security phase III.

• The country remains in phase 4.

• The country is in UN security Phase I. Various anti-war demonstrations reported in Damascus

• Phase 2 in the South East, Phase 1 elsewhere.

2. HIGHLIGHTS OPERATIONAL UPDATES

Iraq

• A WFP convoy of 43 trucks carrying wheat flour reached Northern Iraq on 8 April 2003; 39 trucks arrived in Erbil with 725 MT of food on the 10th of April 2003; three trucks carrying 75 MT are destined for Dahuk. Offloading of the trucks in Erbil will start on the 11th of April which will facilitate distribution of the wheat flour.
• The WHO truck that departed Jordan on Tuesday the 8th of April with medical supplies is confirmed to have arrived in Baghdad. The destination was the Ministry of Health.
• The two MSF trucks containing medical goods that were impounded in Baghdad were released this week and are now at the MSF warehouse
  

• On the 9th of April, 18 trucks carrying WFP cargo crossed into Iraq from Habur/Silopi border. Furthermore, five trucks carrying 31 MT of UNICEF oil-for-food supplies (including hospital beds, WATSAN materials and health care supplies) crossed from Habur/Silopi on the same day at 1500 hours

• On 8 April a shipment of 50,000 MT of wheat provided by the Australian Government was unloaded in Kuwait City. This wheat will be considered as a part of the oil-for-food programme (OFFP).

4. AIR OPERATIONS

• The UN in New York has approved the use of Belgian C-130 that will be painted with UN emblem and is available for cargo flights. Requests can be directed to UNJLC. The C-130 is capable of carrying 18 MT and two 4x4 vehicles.
• The UNHAS AN 12 has been tasked to deliver communications equipment for FITTEST in the region.
  
  On 6th April, the IL 76 carried WFP prefabricated housing material to Damascus and Amman from Brindisi. Further three WFP vehicles were shipped to Brindisi from Geneva on the IL 76 on 9th April.
• Air plan and standard operating procedures for UNHAS are finalized, and will be circulated to the UN agencies in Larnaca.
  

Jordan:

• All commercial air carriers resumed their normal operations to Jordan except Kuwait Airways

• There were in total 7 UN cargo flights from 30 March to 7 April with a total of 46.509 MT of cargo; one flight from Brindisi transported 19.059 MT of cargo for WFP and 1.250 MT of cargo for WHO; 6 flights from Dubai transported vehicles and communications equipment that amounted to 26.200 MT.

Syria

• United Nations Humanitarian Air Services (UNHAS) has started operations in Syria for passengers and cargo as of Saturday 5 April

Turkey

• Van and Gaziantep airports are open to humanitarian flights as of 10 April; Gaziantep airfield does not have the capacity and handling equipment to receive IL-76 (strategic airlift).

5. BORDER CROSSING AND CUSTOMS

• The Coalition in Jordan advises that the transportation corridors through western Iraq are not considered secure. They further advise relief agencies to refrain from sending staff or commodities through western Iraq until these transportation corridors are secure.
• United Nations Office of Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq (UNOHCI) has defined basic UN procedures for all cross-border operations into Iraq (available on the UNJLC website). Given the rapidly changing situation on the ground, these procedures will be modified accordingly. The procedures defined are as follows:
  1. All cross-border movements of national and international staff into Iraq require security clearance from UNSECOORD. Required information should be emailed to the Regional Field Security Coordination Officer (RFSCO) at security.larnaca@wfp.org, cc: Cyprus.radioroom@wfp.org. Clearance and notification procedures must start at least 72 hours prior to the intended start of the mission in order to ensure all the necessary clearances.
  2. For movement of humanitarian goods in commercial vehicles the agencies should notify the Coalition, via the HOC in Kuwait or HACC in Jordan, twelve hours prior to the intended movement. Details must include expected time of arrival at a specific border crossing; number of trucks (in case of a convoy); destination in Iraq; and consignee. Drivers of trucks are required to carry the standard waybills of the dispatching organization.
• The Office of the Iraq Programme (OIP) has identified for the OFFP four new locations for the delivery and transshipment of emergency food and other items into Iraq. The new locations, with more to follow, are the Mediterranean seaports of Latakia in Syria, Iskanderun in Turkey, the Jordanian port of Aqaba and the Gulf port at Kuwait City. Each port offers bulk handling services, extensive warehousing facilities and good road links with Iraq.
• In Jordan, UNJLC was notified that a 24 hours customs service will be established at all free zone terminals in Aqaba. A further request by UNJLC to establish 24 hours customs facilities at the Al Kamarah (Trebil) border crossing point was accepted, and the services will start upon request of the agencies. Customs facilities in Jordan at the border with Iraq (Trebil) are all working normally; no customs officials on the Iraqi side of the border are present any longer.
• The border between Kuwait and Iraq at Umm Qasr is open to humanitarian traffic; while the border at Safwan is reserved for military traffic only.
• The border crossing points between Iraq and Syria - Al Tanf, Al Yarubiyeh and Abu Kamal - are open; cross-border movements are minimal. The Syria-Jordan and Syria-Turkey border crossing points are open and traffic movement is regular. There is no customs presence on the Iraqi side of Al Tanf and Abu Kamal border crossing point. Coalition presence is reported 10 km away from the Abu Kamal border crossing point inside Iraq; shootings were reported.
• The procedures at the Turkey-Iraq border crossing (Habur/Silopi) have eased considerably on the Turkey side over the last two weeks. Movements of relief commodities from Turkey into Iraq have increased.

6. LOGISTICS (Stock/Warehousing)

• The current stock supplies in the region from leading UN Agencies include 26,376 MT of food, 144,662 water tanks (Rigid & Collapsible 10-20 L), 125,057 water jerry cans, 69,540 stoves, more than 1.2 million blankets and 150 New Emergency Health Kits (each kit serves up to 10,000 people for three months).
• UNJLC is compiling and regularly updating an inter-agency stock report that tracks the stock positions of key items of the UN agencies and associated agencies in the region. This report is available on the UNJLC website at http://www.unjlc.org/iraq/chain/01_01.html.

• In addition to the pre-positioned High Energy Biscuits (HEB) - 160 MT, WFP has come to an agreement with a local contractor to procure 10 million pieces of bread. Agreement has been reached to procure wheat and milling has begun.

7. TRANSPORT SECTOR

• NTR.

8. TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE

• UNJLC, UNICEF and WFP conducted the first assessment of the Um Qasr port facilities on 4th April 2003.The port of Umm Qasr is now declared (by the Coalition) open to receive vessels with relief commodities. HOC reports that the old port is clear of mines while the new port should be cleared in the coming week. The infrastructure and facilities of the port are not significantly damaged; rather the port is in a good state to handle shipments. However, it is not yet re-connected to the power supply (coming from Basra).
• The new port has 21 warehouses of approx. 2,000 m2 (53x33x7). Half of the warehouses are empty; The old port has 6 warehouses, of which half are unfilled. The warehouses are not in a good state. The full report plus photographs will soon be available on the UNJLC website at http://www.unjlc.org/iraq/infrastructure/02_02.html.

9. FUEL

10. OTHER

• Syria - UNJLC has moved into the WFP office: Adnan Malki St, 2, Malki 6, Area 2, Damascus. Tel: +963 11 334 2006/7 or +963 11 333 6432.