Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/333851
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 22 JUNE 2014 11 is impossible to predict whether any area can be considered 'safe' or 'un- safe' for very long. What is the mood among the refu- gees themselves? Iraq has been no stranger to civil violence over the past decade. Do the people Karl comes into contact with view this latest crisis as significantly different from any other? Do they see their own displacement as something per- manent, or do they hope to return to 'normality' in a not-too-distant future? "That depends on several factors, and the answer changes depending whom you speak to. The conflict we are witnessing is much more com- plex than a Sunni-Shia divide. Iraq is a very varied pluralist society, and depending on the agenda of the peo- ple you talk to, the perspective will be different. I have met people, for instance, who feel it might be safe to return to Mosul in the near future. But I have met others, including families with children, who are de- termined never to go back at all. The truth is we don't know how the situ- ation will develop. I can't say what will happen in the next hour, let alone next week or next month…" Moving away from the situation on the ground: as we speak, the inter- national community appears hesi- tant to take any direct action. There is talk of possible military interven- tion, and the Iraqi government has openly appealed for US air strikes against ISIS positions. How does this impact the feeling among the people Karl Schembri comes into contact with daily? Is there any way of gaug- ing the popular mood regarding whether foreign powers should in- tervene? "That is another bone of conten- tion, and again it depends whom you talk to. I've heard all sorts of answers to that question. The dynamics of the situation are complex: different factions have different interests, and very often you wouldn't know exact- ly what those interests are." Regardless of what decisions are taken on the international stage, the prospect remains that the crisis will worsen in the immediate future. "One thing is clear. More violence, whether it takes the form of local or foreign intervention, will lead to more displacement of more peo- ple. This is not an issue that can be solved just militarily: we can't forget the plight of the civilians, including the extremely vulnerable, the chil- dren. "Our appeal is for the international community not to forget that this is primarily a humanitarian crisis. Even if the fighting were to suddenly stop, we would still keep getting people who cannot afford to meet even their most basic needs…" Karl Schembri also argues that there are different ways in which other countries can intervene. "The international community can exert pressure to see to it that the basic standards of humanitarian behav- iour are respected. It must be made clear that humanitarian obligations of the warring parties are not op- tional: civilians have to be protected, no matter what. Whatever grievanc- es may exist between whatever par- ties, and regardless of what they're fighting about, there are obligations which remain indisputable." This, he adds, is where foreign policy really matters. "Every govern- ment has its own channels of com- munication, and can help reinforce the message that human rights are non-negotiable. What we keep ap- pealing is for the United Nations to focus on exerting pressure and influ- ence in this direction. Let's not for- get that at the heart of this tragedy are people." To help Save the Children respond to the crisis in Iraq, you can send a donation by visiting: www.savethechildren.org.uk/ Interview Karl Schembri, Middle East regional media manager for international aid agency Save The Children, urges the international community to remember that the Iraqi refugee crisis also has a human face This is not your ty pical crisis NO END IN SIGHT The truth is we don't know how the situation will develop. I can't say what will happen in the next hour, let alone next week or next month…