Tragic death of Red Cross delegate in Baghdad confirmed
OTTAWA, April 9, 2003 - The body of Vatche Arslanian, the Red Cross worker from Canada who had been unaccounted for since Tuesday afternoon in Baghdad was recovered today by his colleagues and brought to Ibn Nafis hospital.
This regrettably confirms the news of Vatche Arslanian's tragic death. From information the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Baghdad was able to gather on the circumstances of this incident, it appears that the vehicle he and other ICRC staff members were travelling in was caught in cross fire. Vatche Arslanian died on the spot. Six other cars were caught in the same cross fire. It is understood that a total of thirteen people were killed in the same incident.
It is with profound sadness that the Canadian Red Cross received this news and extends its condolences to Vatche Arslanian's family, friends and colleagues. Humbled by the strength in the human spirit and motivated by the difference the Red Cross makes in people's lives, Vatche Arslanian was committed to the Red Cross Mission. He went to Iraq to provide vital assistance, all the while knowing the dangers and perils that he could face.
According to Balthasar Staehelin, ICRC delegate-general for the Middle East and North Africa, "the courageous decision by six ICRC expatriates to stay in Baghdad voluntarily and work alongside their local colleagues during the worst of the fighting made a marked difference to the lives of thousands of people. Mr. Arslanian was one of those six and we can find some solace in knowing that he helped to make that difference."
Vatche Arslanian was in charge of logistics for the ICRC in Iraq. He had been working for the ICRC for over three years, most of the time on loan from the Canadian Red Cross. He had been part of the ICRC's team in Iraq since July 17, 2001 and played a key role in efforts to deliver urgently needed supplies, in particular to hospitals and water-treatment plants.
This was Arslanian's second ICRC mission. Arslanian was a former member of the military and, while residing in Oromocto, NB, also served on the town council and was deputy mayor. He was an active volunteer with the Canadian Red Cross since 1991. He helped with fundraising and relief programs when 1,000 Kosovar refugees were housed on the Canadian Forces Base in Gagetown, N.B. in 1999. Arslanian participated in his first overseas mission with the ICRC in Georgia in 2000. As a senior logistician in Georgia, he managed 43 local Red Cross staff and operations that provided 5,000 tons of relief materials monthly.
"It is a sad day for the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and for the Canadian Red Cross," said Robert Barnes, Canadian Red Cross President. "It's also a sad testament to war that its casualties are all too often people like Mr. Arslanian whose sole purpose for being in harms way is to bring humanitarian relief to victims. We need to remember him proudly for his sacrifice."
The ICRC is deeply distressed by its temporary inability to pursue its emergency assistance for those in need. The decision on the next steps will be taken in due time after a sound assessment of the situation. The ICRC will resume its activities in Baghdad as soon as possible. In the mean time, it continues its humanitarian activities elsewhere in Iraq out of its offices in Erbil and Basrah.
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