GOAL hopes for Iraq access

Aid agencies have said they hope to gain access to parts of Iraq under US control within the coming weeks.

The Irish agency GOAL said it will be working in three areas of southern Iraq, including the city of al-Nasiriyah, where the US military was engaged in a heavy battle with Iraqi forces defending the area.

Westerners have had no access to the city since the beginning of the war two weeks ago and the extent of the death and destruction has yet to be ascertained.

Speaking from Kuwait, GOAL's emergency co-ordinator, Ray Jordan, said: "The most important thing now is access into the area to assess the needs and to make sure that the assistance provided is of an appropriate manner.

"Basically, it's going to be either health and nutrition supplies or water and sanitation supplies. These are seen as the critical needs."