BAGHDAD, May 6: The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) called on the United States on Tuesday as the occupying power in Iraq to fulfil its duty to ensure security.

International law grants “very clear duties and rights to the occupying power”, Jakob Kellenberger said before a meeting with the US civil administrator, retired general Jay Garner.

This includes the duty “to impose public law and order, to secure the well-being of the population and protect essential infrastructures such as hospitals”, he said at a press conference at ICRC headquarters in Baghdad.

“I have the strong feeling that more has to be done for security,” he said.

“I have a strong impression that the priority is to improve security, to help people to get back to work so they can get their salaries and return to a normal life.”

Mr Kellenberger renewed the ICRC’s demand to have access to all prisoners of war or common law taken by the United States or British forces.

“We had access to more than 7,000 POWs and civilian prisoners,” the ICRC president said. “Many of them have been released,” he added.

ICRC spokeswoman Nada Doumani said the Americans had not officially refused access to common law prisoners, but that in practice access was not granted.

Obtaining notification of civilians arrests was “very complicated”, she added.—AFP