国际英语新闻：UN appeals for 71 mln USD aid for Kyrgyzstan: Ban

UNITED NATIONS, June 18 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon said Friday that the world body is appealing for 71 million U. S. dollars of emergency aid for conflict-stricken Kyrgyzstan.

"At this very moment, OCHA is launching a 71 million dollar flash appeal for Kyrgyzstan," Ban told reporters at UN Headquarters, referring to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

John Holmes, the head of OCHA, is meeting with donor member states on this issue, he said.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon speaks at a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York, the United States, June 18, 2010. Ban Ki-moon said Friday that the world body is appealing for 71 million U. S. dollars of emergency aid for conflict-stricken Kyrgyzstan.

"These are shortages of food, water and electricity in the affected areas, due to looting lack of supply and restrictions on movement," Ban said. "Hospitals and other institutions are running low on medical supplies."

An estimated 300,000 people have been displaced in Kyrgyzstan, and up to 100,000 have fled to Uzbekistan. "Tens of thousands more are reportedly waiting to cross the border," he noted.