Belgian Doctors Bill U.S. for Treating Iraqi Girl

[Michel Collon <michel.collon at skynet.be>]

Belgian Doctors Bill U.S. for Treating Iraqi Girl
Dear friend,

We had a successful campaign with Hiba, an Iraqi girl that was treated in
Belgium for over a year for leg wounds, caused by a cluster bomb during the
U.S. invasion. Medical Aid For the Third World (MATW:
www.intal.be/nl/index.php), the organisation that had 2 (later 4) doctors
in Baghdad before and during the war, in cooperation with SOS Iraq
(www.irak.be), and whose reports on a daily basis can be read at
www.irak.be: Diary of 4 Belgian doctors of Medical Aid For The Third World
in Baghdad, coordinated this action.

This efford received a lot of media-attention in Belgium. And we managed to
explain through this case better the real situation in Iraq. Many famous
sports people (Gella Van de Caveye:world and olympic champion Judo, and Kim
Clijsters - tennis etc..) patronised and helped with the fundraising to pay
this very expensive operation.

So this is one way to raise consciousness among the Western population for
the war in Iraq, because we've sent the bill to the US embassy, as you can
read underneath.

In solidarity.
Dirk Adriaensens
www.irak.be

Belgian Doctors Bill U.S. for Treating Iraqi Girl

Thu Apr 28,12:29 PM ET

<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=564&ncid=564&e=12&u=/nm/20050428/ts_nm/iraq_belgium_dc>http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=564&ncid=564&e=12&u=/nm/20050428/ts_nm/iraq_belgium_dc


Belgian doctors sent an Iraqi girl home on Thursday after treating her for
leg wounds caused by a cluster bomb during the U.S. invasion -- and sent
the 51,570 euro ($66,650) bill to the U.S. embassy.

"We haven't heard from them yet," said Bert De Belder, coordinator of the
humanitarian agency Medical Aid for Third World which brought the girl to
Belgium.

"I'm curious to know their reaction," he told Reuters. "We're giving them
10 days to respond ... I don't think they will pay it."

The girl, 15-year-old Hiba Kassim, smiled to reporters as she waited for
her flight to Jordan to meet her father.

"Thank you, Belgium," she said.

Doctors brought Kassim to Belgium last year to try to save her left ankle,
seriously injured by a cluster bomb that also killed her brother in Baghdad
in 2003.

After five operations and weeks of physiotherapy, Kassim is able to walk
again, but with a slight limp.

De Belder said he sent the bill to the U.S. embassy because international
law dictated that an occupying force was responsible for the well-being of
the country's people. U.S. embassy officials were not immediately available
for comment. ($1=.7737 Euro)

Full text of the letter to the US embassy underneath



Hiba Kassim, the 15-year-old Iraqi girl injured two years ago by a U.S.
cluster bomb, sits on a luggage cart before her departure to Iraq, from
Brussels international airport, April 28, 2005. Kassim underwent surgery in
Belgium to repair damage done to her legs, the bill for which has been sent
to the U.S. embassy.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Médecine pour le Tiers Monde asbl
Haachtsesteenweg 53 Chaussée de Haecht
Brussel 1210 Bruxelles
Tel. 02/209.23.60
Fax 02/209.23.51
Fortis bank account number : 001-1951388-18
info at g3w.be
www.g3w.be



To the Honorable Mr. Tom C. Korologos
US Ambassador to Belgium
Embassy of the United States
Regentlaan 27
1000 Brussels

Brussels, 25 April 2005


Re: payment of the medical bill of Iraqi war victim Hiba Kassim 

Sir:

On April 6, 2003, the US Air Force dropped a cluster bomb on the  Baghdad
neighborhood where 13-year-old Hiba Kassim was playing with her little
brother Yussef. The bomb killed Yussef and seriously wounded Hiba in her
left leg, abdomen and right knee.

Dr. Geert Van Moorter and Dr. Claire Geraets of the Belgian humanitarian
NGO Medical Aid for the Third World met Hiba a few days laterin Baghdad's
Al Nour Hospital, where she was being treated. In July 2003 and March 2004,
Dr. Van Moorter met her again during his subsequent medical missions in
Iraq. After several operations and extended periods of revalidation, Hiba's
left leg remained seriously shortened, malformed and non-functional.

After consultation with Iraqi health professionals, Medical Aid for the
Third World decided to have Hiba transferred to Belgium for specialized
medical care. The conditions of war and occupation prevailing in Iraq, the
degradation of the Iraqi health care system and the deteriorating economic
and social situation did not allow for the treatment that Hiba Kassim
needed, including major orthopedic and plastic surgical operations.

Hiba Kassim did receive these in Belgium, in the St. Luke's General
Hospital in Ghent and in the Pellenberg University Hospital in Louvain.
After five operations and nearly eleven months in Belgium, she can now
return to her home country. On Thursday, April 28, Dr. Geert Van Moorter
will accompany Hiba to Amman and hand her over to her father, who will
travel to Amman from Baghdad to fetch his daughter.

Hiba is aware of the fact that war and occupation continue to make life
very hard for her family, neighbors and friends. But this young girl, who
turned 15 just last week, is determined to return to her country. She
intends to study hard and hopes to become a doctor and serve her people.
Hiba is also convinced of the fact that the US government is the prime
responsible for her people's suffering, and the sole responsible for her
own, personal suffering.

We hold the US government accountable for the serious physical and
psychological harm done to Hiba Kassim. First, US troops hit Hiba with a
cluster bomb, while, according to International Humanitarian Law, targeting
civilians in an international armed conflict is prohibited, as is the use
of cluster bombs or ammunition in civilian areas. Second, Hiba was not able
to get proper medical care, while according to the Fourth Geneva Convention
(Articles 50, 55 and 56), the Occupying Power has the duty of ensuring the
medical supplies of the population and of ensuring and maintaining the
medical and hospital establishments and services in the occupied territory.

As a humanitarian agency, we decided to step in and try, to the best of our
ability, to provide Hiba Kassim with the care and the opportunities that
the US occupation of her country denied her. But we promised to Hiba and to
the broad group of supporters and sympathizers - including Olympic medalist
and multiple world and European judo champion Gella Vandecaveye - that we
would send the bill to the US government.

Please find enclosed the invoice for the medical care extended to Hiba
Kassim, amounting to 51,570 euro. May we respectfully call on you, Mr.
Ambassador, to assure that this invoice is properly paid for by your
Administration at the soonest possible time, as a token restitution of the
damages inflicted upon Hiba Kassim.

Mr. Ambassador, as you have been senior counselor with the Coalition
Provisional Authority (CPA) in Baghdad from May to December 2003, we
believe you have particular reason to take a special interest in the case
of Hiba Kassim. We expect you to exert all efforts to ensure your
Administration's positive reply to our request.

Yours sincerely, 


Dr. Bert De Belder
Managing Director
Medical Aid for the Third World


Annex: Charge invoice nr. 2005/004