Barry Riesch to rebuild water systems in Iraq with veterans for peace

Programs & Series | MPR News Feature |
September 4, 2000
Stephanie Curtis - Reporter
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Ten years of economic sanctions have taken their toll on Iraq. According to UNICEF, the number of infant deaths has doubled since the sanctions began. One of the most pressing problems is the scarcity of adequate water purification systems. A group of US veterans hopes to change that. Veterans for Peace, a pacifist organization, is sending a group of volunteers to a small city in southern Iraq to rebuild a water treatment plant damaged by bombing. Minnesotan Barry Riesch is a Vietnam Veteran who will be on the trip. He says Iraqi civilians are so overwhelmed by sanctions they can't fix the water system on their own.

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