Dr Roshal told Mr Putin that it was necessary to urgently evacuate children from Baghdad and Basra.
He said the matter demanded approval by the Iraqi and the US sides and by the Red Cross. He said that he had discussed the problem with the Iraqi ambassador to Russia, who gave him a list of 95 children. The doctor had also discussed the problem with the US Embassy in Russia.
The American side displayed interest. The embassy asked Washington, and an answer was given on April 3. Dr Roshal intended to discuss the problem with the embassy again the next day.
The problem was to be discussed at UNICEF on April 7, and in the Council of Europe on April 9–10. The World Health Organisation joined the discussion. Russia proposed the establishment of a coordination committee, which would include representatives of all the above organisations, to arrange the evacuation with the help of the Russian Ministry of Civil Defence, Emergencies and Disaster Relief.