Red Cross seeks 47 percent hike in Iraq aid budget for 2007

0 Comments | AFP, December, 2006

GENEVA (AFP) — Iraq will consume an ever greater portion of the International Committee of the Red Cross's budget in 2007, moving to the third highest recipient of aid from the seventh, the aid agency has said. The ICRC is targeting 56.3 million Swiss francs (47.1 million dollars, 35.5 million euros) for Iraq in 2007, up 47 percent from 2006.

The agency warned last week that continued violence in the country was preventing it from addressing the concerns of the civilian population in a meaningful way. George Comninos, head of operations for the Middle East and North Africa, said Thursday the ICRC's current activities in Iraq were "only piecemeal in the face of the immensity of the needs." Overall in 2007, the ICRC is targeting 1.003 billion francs in donations from...