Posted on 04/06/2003 5:58:15 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
A man sits in the sparsely furnished reception hall of the Iraqi embassy in Pretoria, nervously fingering a string of prayer beads. The pain on his face is profound.
In an office on the floor above, the ambassador of the besieged nation, Zuhair Mohammed Ahmed Al-Omar, is a picture of serenity. He displays no sign of the anxiety and sorrow gnawing at the soul of his countryman sitting below.
Al-Omar, a distinguished-looking gentleman, is sucking on a cigar and his face lights up as we walk through the door - hardly what we expect.
But then Al-Omar is nothing like the archetypal Iraqi government official, the evil predator defined by the pro-war propaganda machine. Instead, he exudes charm and cordiality, the laughter lines around his eyes speaking volumes about his character.
For the past two weeks, since the start of the war in Iraq, Al-Omar has been a satellite TV junkie, wanting to soak up every bit of available information from the international news channels.
"I watch everything. You have to see and hear what your enemy is saying and showing."
It seems he assimilates the reports with a considerable dose of scepticism.
"There is no free coverage in the Western world. When they report, they say it is with restrictions from the army."
There are a lot of lies about this war, he says, citing numerous examples of reports that cities and towns have been taken by coalition forces, which have been denied within hours.
Judging by the expletives, watching television must be quite an interactive experience at the official Iraqi residence.
Al-Omar's phone rings incessantly - sympathisers and well-wishers offering support, journalists requesting interviews, diplomatic colleagues inquiring about the latest developments in the US and British invasion.
His official communication with the Iraqi capital broke down on the third day of the war.
"Those aggressors target all the communication centres. Up to then, we were in telephone contact. We have our own way of communicating with our [foreign] ministry in Baghdad," he grins mischievously.
A convenient cue for the question the US will pay $80-billion to have answered: where is Saddam Hussein?
"You put this down, I am giving you confirmed information," Al-Omar says, gesturing animatedly. "The president is in very good health. He is well.
And he is looking after our battle with the aggressors. Personally."
It is difficult to leave it there.
In response to different formulations of the same question, Al-Omar leans forward and says pointedly: "I passed a message two days ago to him through one of his friends . . . to the president. He is well. I am confident that the president will remain safe."
Saddam is not a war novice and is well protected from the bombardment. No matter what they throw at Baghdad, they will never find him, says Al-Omar.
"The information machine has been working for a long time to give a negative impression about President Saddam. People who know [him] very well know what kind of a man he is. He is not a president, he is a leader."
Thousands of kilometres away from the combat, Al-Omar gushes about the Iraqi resistance.
"Our hearts and minds are with our brothers and sisters in Iraq, our country.
"Our people, citizens, party and armed forces are doing their best to defend the motherland and expel aggressors from Iraq. They are invaders and we will fight them to the last bullet."
And what inspires such confidence?
" The country is well prepared for this aggression. Every citizen, not only party members or party militia or the army, but every single citizen in Iraq is carrying arms to defend their country."
Al-Omar says his government distributed food rations that will last six months. It has also stockpiled medical supplies.
His smile fades suddenly. "Have you seen the pictures of the children and the women lying in the hospitals? These people came saying they will liberate Iraq. When I see the pictures of the injured and the dead, the children, I get furious. They are proud of using cluster bombs, which are prohibited internationally. It makes me very angry."
Only some members of Al-Omar's immediate family are with him in Pretoria.
The rest are in Baghdad and he can no longer communicate with them.
"Sometimes you feel that you have to go home and carry the weapons and fight beside your comrades . . . What matters now is defending Iraq in the face of aggression."
Al-Omar says he is fortunate to be based in a country so supportive of his.
"We know the President [Thabo Mbeki] is very worried. We appreciate very much the position the President has taken. From the beginning he was against this war and he condemned this aggression on many occasions.
"All officials, Parliament and the ANC have been supportive. We have very good relations with the ANC and the other progressive parties here," he says.
It is for this reason that Iraq hopes to forge strong economic and political links with South Africa after the war.
Asked about the US request to the SA government to expel him and other Iraqi diplomats, Al-Omar chuckles: "This shows you how the Americans think.
They think that they run this world; every country on Earth should go by their advice.
"When you submit such a demand to any country, what are the moral and legal grounds ? Even some of their allies rejected this demand. This is absurd."
So what has Iraq got up its sleeve? It's the diplomatic way of asking the other billion-dollar question.
"Since the start of this aggression, the Americans and the British were trying to find a little evidence that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction.
They couldn't find anything. For one simple reason: we don't have them.
"If you follow what they are saying now, they forget about weapons of mass destruction.
"They are speaking about regime change. From the beginning, this was their plan. Every day that passes, you will find that the US and the British are getting weaker. Not only militarily, but all their allegations and their pretext become exposed," says Al-Omar.
Suicide bombings are an unconventional means of fighting war, but under the circumstances "justifiable", says Al-Omar.
"Are we sending any suicide bombers outside our country? No, we are defending our country. You have people ready to die for their motherland.
What's wrong with that?"
Al-Omar says he takes heart from watching millions around the world demonstrating against the war. It shows that he is on the side of the just, he says.
With the odds incontrovertibly against the Saddam regime, one wonders whether the resilience in the man is based on delusion.
He says it's because a whole nation cannot be "exterminated" and therefore Iraq will prevail.
After the war, the people will rebuild their country as they did after the first Gulf War.
"But first," Al-Omar sighs, "by the will of God, those aggressors must go back to their countries. Defeated."
except to those in Basrah who somehow were unable to get out the day the distributions were made.
Uh.. this guy IS delusional.. since he is a news 'junkie' hasn't he seen the embedded reporters .. reporting as it HAPPENS?? No FREE coverage.. good heavens.
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