Speaking at a press briefing at the UN headquarters in New York, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Kenzo Oshima stressed that contingency planning by the UN should not be misconstrued as indication to the contrary.

Underscoring the belief of Secretary-General Kofi Annan that war in Iraq is not inevitable, he said that inspections can work and "all avenues should be explored to find a peaceful solution."

"But it is also important to underline that it is the responsibility of the United Nations to be ready for any contingency in Iraq, as indeed, anywhere else," he said.

Oshima's briefing came after the UN chief gave an informal presentation earlier Thursday to Security Council members on the status of humanitarian contingency planning for Iraq by the UN Secretariat.

Under a "medium-case scenario" used in its planning assumptions, Oshima said that up to 10 million people -- which would include internally displaced persons, refugees and the general public -- may require food assistance during and immediately after the start of the conflict, while up to half of the population may be without access to potable water.

He added that 2 million people could become internally displaced, and that there was the potential for between 600,000 to1.45 million refugees and asylum seekers.

He said the UN's role will be to make sure that enough measures are in place that will allow the UN and the international humanitarian community to alleviate suffering and provide life-saving assistance.

"Of course parties to the conflict will be expected to meet their obligations to protect and assist civilian populations under international humanitarian law," he noted.

(Xinhua News Agency February 14, 2003)