Wednesday, August 08, 2007
British govt to review case of Iraqi interpreters
Humanitarian
(BBC) - The government says it will review the cases of Iraqi interpreters who have been told any claim for asylum in the UK will not be given special treatment. The 91 interpreters say they are in fear for their lives, because they are seen as traitors by local militias. The Home Office insists they will have to apply for asylum in the normal way - registering when they arrive in the UK.
Defence Secretary Des Browne told the BBC that the government took its "duty of care very seriously". He said about 20,000 Iraqis had helped British forces since 2003. No 10 said the issue would be kept under review, but previous decisions were unlikely to be overturned. Requests for help from serving or ex-employees were based on their "individual merits", the Ministry of Defence said.
Mr Browne said: "The challenge that we face here is quite complex. "People who do interpreting work believe themselves to be particularly [more] vulnerable than other people do. "That's why the prime minister has made it clear that we will review how best to [carry out] our duty of care to these people. "That's in hand, I have a responsibility on that, as does the foreign secretary and we will report to ministers in the autumn."
Mr Browne also said the government would "move at the appropriate pace" to get its policy right in relation to duty of care "to all of those whom we have a responsibility to". He said: "We will do what we can in the meantime, as we continue to do, to keep those people who we think are under immediate threat safe."
Defence Secretary Des Browne told the BBC that the government took its "duty of care very seriously". He said about 20,000 Iraqis had helped British forces since 2003. No 10 said the issue would be kept under review, but previous decisions were unlikely to be overturned. Requests for help from serving or ex-employees were based on their "individual merits", the Ministry of Defence said.
Mr Browne said: "The challenge that we face here is quite complex. "People who do interpreting work believe themselves to be particularly [more] vulnerable than other people do. "That's why the prime minister has made it clear that we will review how best to [carry out] our duty of care to these people. "That's in hand, I have a responsibility on that, as does the foreign secretary and we will report to ministers in the autumn."
Mr Browne also said the government would "move at the appropriate pace" to get its policy right in relation to duty of care "to all of those whom we have a responsibility to". He said: "We will do what we can in the meantime, as we continue to do, to keep those people who we think are under immediate threat safe."
Loay Al-Taher worked for the British Army in Basra for three years. He is now in Syria after fleeing Iraq in March this year when he feared being targeted by militia groups. He told the BBC: "I put my whole life in danger. I didn't imagine it was going to be like this. "I didn't imagine the British government is going to abandon me like this." Mr Al-Taher also said he was turned away from the British embassy in Damascus when he went to ask for asylum in the UK.
BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner says interpreters are marked men who "face a horrific death". He said the interpreters face two levels of danger: that experienced while on patrol, and the consequences of being seen as collaborators. "Anybody associated with the coalition, government ministries, and so on, they're all seen as traitors by the militias. "Not just by al-Qaeda in the Sunni areas, but by the Shia militias in the south."
BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner says interpreters are marked men who "face a horrific death". He said the interpreters face two levels of danger: that experienced while on patrol, and the consequences of being seen as collaborators. "Anybody associated with the coalition, government ministries, and so on, they're all seen as traitors by the militias. "Not just by al-Qaeda in the Sunni areas, but by the Shia militias in the south."
Labels: asylum, Basra, British army, British government, Defense Secretary Des Browne, Home Office, Iraqi interpreters, militias
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
As Brits leave Basra their Iraqi interpreters are left to a grissly fate
Humanitarian
(The Guardian) - Read the letters in full here
Britain was accused yesterday of abandoning 91 Iraqi interpreters and their families to face persecution and possible death when British forces withdraw. The Times has learnt that the Government has ignored personal appeals from senior army officers in Basra to relax asylum regulations and make special arrangements for Iraqis whose loyal services have put their lives at risk.
One interpreter, who has worked with the Army since 2004 and wanted to start a new life in Britain after British Forces pull out was told by Downing Street that he would receive no special favours and to read a government website. There is mounting evidence of a campaign by militants to target “collaborators” as British Forces prepare to leave. Hundreds of interpreters and other locally engaged staff working for the coalition have been kidnapped, tortured and murdered over the past four years.
Denmark has already made special arrangements to help its Iraqi staff and the Americans are set to accept 7,000 Iraqi refugees.
Armed with a glowing reference from his commander, Major Pauric Newland, stating that his life would be in danger once British Forces left, A Kinani made a personal appeal to Tony Blair, during his last visit to Iraq as Prime Minister in May. His letter was handed to Ruth Turner, a former No 10 adviser, and a reply was sent on June 22 by Nick Banner, a former foreign policy adviser, who informed Mr Kinani that he was not eligible for asylum. He suggested that he went to a third country and applied for a visa and advised him to look at a website for help. “This is cowardly,” Mr Kinani told The Times. “The British make us easy food near the lion’s mouth.”
Last month Denmark granted asylum to 60 former Iraqi staff and their families before its forces withdrew from the south. The US has said it will take in 7,000 Iraqis this year, including former employees. But Britain has so far refused to make an exception. The Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said yesterday that Iraqi employees would receive no special help in applying for asylum.
“Anyone who is seeking to apply for refugee status must do so from within the United Kingdom. There is no exception to that,” said a Home Office spokesman. “Their cases will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis against the criteria of the 1951 Refugee Convention.” Senior politicians and serving officers have appealed to the Government to reconsider and there are hints that some ministers are in favour of resettling former Iraqi employees. One senior British officer in Iraq also hinted that Whitehall was beginning to feel the pressure for a U-turn.
William Hague, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, said: “Britain has benefited from the services of these Iraqis in carrying out our responsibilities in Iraq. As Britain reduces its military presence in Iraq, we ought to look to the safety of those who have risked their lives to help us.” David Winnick, a senior Labour MP, said: “I would hope that the authorities here would be no less generous than the Danes.” The British position was criticised yesterday by human rights groups. Tom Porteous, the director of Human Rights Watch in the UK, said that the Government should reverse its policy.
Britain was accused yesterday of abandoning 91 Iraqi interpreters and their families to face persecution and possible death when British forces withdraw. The Times has learnt that the Government has ignored personal appeals from senior army officers in Basra to relax asylum regulations and make special arrangements for Iraqis whose loyal services have put their lives at risk.
One interpreter, who has worked with the Army since 2004 and wanted to start a new life in Britain after British Forces pull out was told by Downing Street that he would receive no special favours and to read a government website. There is mounting evidence of a campaign by militants to target “collaborators” as British Forces prepare to leave. Hundreds of interpreters and other locally engaged staff working for the coalition have been kidnapped, tortured and murdered over the past four years.
Denmark has already made special arrangements to help its Iraqi staff and the Americans are set to accept 7,000 Iraqi refugees.
Armed with a glowing reference from his commander, Major Pauric Newland, stating that his life would be in danger once British Forces left, A Kinani made a personal appeal to Tony Blair, during his last visit to Iraq as Prime Minister in May. His letter was handed to Ruth Turner, a former No 10 adviser, and a reply was sent on June 22 by Nick Banner, a former foreign policy adviser, who informed Mr Kinani that he was not eligible for asylum. He suggested that he went to a third country and applied for a visa and advised him to look at a website for help. “This is cowardly,” Mr Kinani told The Times. “The British make us easy food near the lion’s mouth.”
Last month Denmark granted asylum to 60 former Iraqi staff and their families before its forces withdrew from the south. The US has said it will take in 7,000 Iraqis this year, including former employees. But Britain has so far refused to make an exception. The Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said yesterday that Iraqi employees would receive no special help in applying for asylum.
“Anyone who is seeking to apply for refugee status must do so from within the United Kingdom. There is no exception to that,” said a Home Office spokesman. “Their cases will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis against the criteria of the 1951 Refugee Convention.” Senior politicians and serving officers have appealed to the Government to reconsider and there are hints that some ministers are in favour of resettling former Iraqi employees. One senior British officer in Iraq also hinted that Whitehall was beginning to feel the pressure for a U-turn.
William Hague, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, said: “Britain has benefited from the services of these Iraqis in carrying out our responsibilities in Iraq. As Britain reduces its military presence in Iraq, we ought to look to the safety of those who have risked their lives to help us.” David Winnick, a senior Labour MP, said: “I would hope that the authorities here would be no less generous than the Danes.” The British position was criticised yesterday by human rights groups. Tom Porteous, the director of Human Rights Watch in the UK, said that the Government should reverse its policy.
Labels: asylum, Basra, British government, British military, FCO, Human Rights Watch, Iraqi interpreters
Saturday, March 10, 2007
British diplomats tried to influence Iraqi oil law in favour of UK businesses
Oil
(Al Jazeera)
A social justice group has obtained documents showing that the British government tried to influence a new Iraqi oil law in favour of UK businesses. The London-based Platform group said on Friday that the documents showed British diplomats tried to exclude Iraqi oil firms in favour of firms such as BP and Shell. Greg Muttitt, an oil campaigner with Platform, told People and Power programme aired on Al Jazeera on Friday, that the British government was "using their position as a military occupier to influence and shape the future of the country's economy in the interests of powerful companies".
British diplomats have been involved in "extensive efforts since at least 2004 to push for companies such as BP and Shell to receive long-term contracts, which would give them exclusive rights to extract Iraq's huge oilfields", Platform said in a press release on Friday.
The group said they were able to prove this using documents obtained under Britain's freedom of information act. Muttitt said Iraqis have been "excluded" from the oil law while the British foreign office played a "central role in supporting the efforts of the oil companies to lobby the Iraqi government".
A social justice group has obtained documents showing that the British government tried to influence a new Iraqi oil law in favour of UK businesses. The London-based Platform group said on Friday that the documents showed British diplomats tried to exclude Iraqi oil firms in favour of firms such as BP and Shell. Greg Muttitt, an oil campaigner with Platform, told People and Power programme aired on Al Jazeera on Friday, that the British government was "using their position as a military occupier to influence and shape the future of the country's economy in the interests of powerful companies".
British diplomats have been involved in "extensive efforts since at least 2004 to push for companies such as BP and Shell to receive long-term contracts, which would give them exclusive rights to extract Iraq's huge oilfields", Platform said in a press release on Friday.
The group said they were able to prove this using documents obtained under Britain's freedom of information act. Muttitt said Iraqis have been "excluded" from the oil law while the British foreign office played a "central role in supporting the efforts of the oil companies to lobby the Iraqi government".
Speaking to Al Jazeera's People and Power programme broadcast on Friday, Kim Howells, a British foreign office minister, denied those claims, saying, "This is paranoia gone completely loopy ... If we were interested in the oil, we would have done those dirty deals that some of the other countries did with Saddam Hussain and the gangsters who ran his regime." He also accused campaigners of seeking to promote their own causes at the expense of the Iraqis.
Speaking to People in Power, David Horgan, managing director of Petrel Resources, said: "If you worry too much about a perfect solution, you will get no solution. What's right is what works. The oil industry and business people generally are very good at getting things done." Petrel Resources was awarded a development service contract for Iraq's Subba and Luhais oil field in September 2005.
Critics have also said the new legislation, which aims to share oil revenues between 18 provinces making allocations based on population levels, will aggravate sectarians tensions in Iraq. Isam Al-Chalabi, Iraq's former oil minister, has called the oil law "ambiguous and unclear". He said: "If it's accepted in its present form certainly it will not be a new beginning to the betterment of the people. On the contrary, it is only adding fuel to the fire."
Speaking to People in Power, David Horgan, managing director of Petrel Resources, said: "If you worry too much about a perfect solution, you will get no solution. What's right is what works. The oil industry and business people generally are very good at getting things done." Petrel Resources was awarded a development service contract for Iraq's Subba and Luhais oil field in September 2005.
Critics have also said the new legislation, which aims to share oil revenues between 18 provinces making allocations based on population levels, will aggravate sectarians tensions in Iraq. Isam Al-Chalabi, Iraq's former oil minister, has called the oil law "ambiguous and unclear". He said: "If it's accepted in its present form certainly it will not be a new beginning to the betterment of the people. On the contrary, it is only adding fuel to the fire."
Labels: BP, British government, draft oil law, Kim Howells, Petrol Resources, Platform group, Shell, Uk
