Iraqi oil must remain Iraqi-owned
Ewa Jasiewicz
July 6, 2006 07:09 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/ewa_jasiewicz/2006/07/oil_privatisation_in_iraq_a_ca.html
The leader of the Iraqi General Union of Oil Employees flew in to
London yesterday. Hassan Jumaa, three times a prisoner of the Saddam
regime, community activist and father of six is a close friend. The
first time we met was in December 2003, when the Southern Oil Company
Union was just eight months old. The union's reputation preceded it; it
was known in Basra for taking a confrontational stance towards the
occupation and for being "clean".
The union's offices were sparse, two rooms furnished with nothing but
plastic garden furniture, a filing cabinet and one wooden desk. Hassan
cut an imposing figure. He was inscrutable. His face gave nothing,
absolutely nothing, away. His words were careful and succinct. Under
dictatorship, the art of revealing nothing or something vital at the
right time to the right person could have meant life or death. No word
was wasted. And to be "clear" meant to be honest in word and deed;
"clear" was a euphemism for being trustable. Hassan from the beginning
was clear.
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