Iraq's Marsh Arabs seek UK help

Draining the marshes deprived the Arabs of their way of life

Tribal leaders of Iraq's Marsh Arabs have visited London to highlight their people's plight since they were driven from their villages by Saddam Hussein.

About 250,000 Marsh Arabs live in refugee camps and Iraqi cities.

They are unable to return to their homes since the marshes on which they depend were drained by the Hussein regime as a means of repression.

Their leaders asked Britain for help in re-flooding all the marshes, as the region is administered by the British.

Impromptu destruction of Saddam's dams by the tribes during the war has allowed the re-flooding of 50% of the old marshes and the return of about 30,000 people.

We considered Saddam's collapse as the time the sun arose again for our people Sheikh Naeem Shalghlam al-Baghannam Marsh Arab tribal leader

However, about £275m is needed to restore water buffalo pasture and fishing grounds which have supported the tribes for thousands of years.

Sheikh Haddam Mohan Safah al-Bashama and Sheikh Naeem Shalghlam al-Baghannam, who are believed to be the first representatives of the Marsh Arabs ever to visit Britain, had unsuccessfully sought a meeting with Foreign Secretary Jack Straw on Thursday.

The Foreign Office said this was because the request had been made at very short notice.

Sheikh Naeem said Saddam's overthrow was joyfully welcomed by the people of the marshes, who had been driven from their homes by his army during the 1980s war with Iran, suffered appalling repression and seen their environment destroyed in the 1990s.

"We considered Saddam's collapse as the time the sun arose again for our people," he said.

Hopeful

"We felt some sort of freedom again. Our young people were able to go out to fish and to travel to markets again, as well as visiting holy shrines for the first time in their lives."

Sheikh Haddam added: "We are now eagerly looking forward to a better future, so that many more people can return to the marshes and get back to their normal useful activities.

Britain has the history and the knowledge, and the marshes are within the British zone of responsibility Baroness Nicholson Liberal Democrat MEP

"We are hoping for re-flooding, to contribute to a better life for the people."

Liberal Democrat MEP Baroness Nicholson, who has long campaigned on behalf of the Marsh Arabs, was critical of the government's failure to provide financial support for the restoration of the marsh areas.

The marshes cover 8,000 square miles and straddle the Iraq-Iran border at the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

"I have been saying for months and months to the British Government that they should make the marshes a priority, but they won't," she said.

"Britain has the history and the knowledge, and the marshes are within the British zone of responsibility."

Lady Nicholson helped bring US deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz to a marsh village last year, after which he "committed himself to helping us get the marshes restored," she said.

No fighting

Both the leaders rejected suggestions that the Marsh Arabs might join the Shia uprising led by cleric Moqtada Sadr.

"The fall of Saddam gave us a sense of real freedom, and the Americans have supplied us with aid," said Sheikh Naeem.

"Why would we fight against American troops?"

Sheikh Haddam said: "We want to see dialogue, not fighting, to resolve any problems."

But he added: "We are prepared to defend our religion and our beliefs. If it becomes clear that the target of anyone is to damage our religion, we will probably be ready to fight."

The sheikhs' trip was arranged by Lady Nicholson's charity AMAR (Assisting Marsh Arabs and Refugees) as well as the Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence.

It included meetings with MEPs and ambassadors of Arab states, as well as lobbying Unesco for the marshes to be given world heritage status.