http://www.edinburghnews.com/citylife_people.cfm?id=EN01118117

by Roger Lytollis

Edinburgh Evening News, 4th July 2001

EVEN a decade after the Gulf War, Iraq retains the power to shock. Just two weeks ago television viewers around the world saw the charred remains of 23 young footballers on a playing field in the town of Mosul.

The Iraqi government claimed they had been killed by American bombers. It was not the best time to be a Westerner in Iraq.

An Edinburgh student was caught in the political crossfire. Frances Brodrick, a third-year student of Arabic at the University of Edinburgh, wasin Iraq when the footballers died. The last thing on her mind was killing. She was risking her freedom to save lives.

Frances was breaking the United Nations¹ economic sanctions on Iraq by delivering medical supplies to the country, risking imprisonment. But she says the sanctions have devastated Iraqi civilians while having little impact on Saddam Hussein¹s government.

Her interest in Iraq was sparked two years ago when a journalist spoke at the University about her experiences there. "She told us about the suffering of the Iraqi people," says Frances. "I was taken aback. I had no idea of the problems out there."

The Bruntsfield student joined Voices In The Wilderness, an organisation dedicated to raising awareness of the plight facing Iraqi civilians andhelping to alleviate their problems.

Frances found while fundraising that many people in Edinburgh were unaware of the suffering. Others did not care. "I was collecting on Lothian Road.There were a few people who weren¹t very sympathetic. They said they hate Iraqis. I think it had more to do with racism than with economics."

After volunteering for a Voices In The Wilderness delegation to Iraq, Frances attended an open day in London underlining the illegal aspect of what she would be doing. She was then lucky enough - in her eyes at least - to be picked for a journey into the unknown.

Local businesses helped her fund-raising efforts. Nile Valley and Jordan Valley restaurants provided food for a Middle Eastern lunch at university. Nature¹s Gate donated creams for burns and ezcema. Frances also took toys, medicines and medical supplies. The day before departure she joined five Voices in the Wilderness colleagues in handing a letter to Ten Downing Street. This informed the Government that the party was about to break the economic sanctions.

They flew to Oman and drove across the Syrian Desert to the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. First impressions were deceptive. "The buildings and the city itself seemed really modern. But scratch the surface and there¹s a lot of poverty," says Frances. "Ten years ago Iraq was a very prosperous country.Now you see street children. Iraq used to have excellent health and education facilities but these are not there now. It¹s all been destroyed by ten years of sanctions."

The volunteers visited an electricity station which regularly breaks down. Spare parts are hard to come by so if something malfunctions it can take weeks to repair. While Frances was at the plant news broke of the deaths on the football pitch at Mosul.

"It was on the TV there. Twenty-one of the men killed were under 17. We were shocked. It was a harsh way to establish our meeting. They were saying, "Look at what is happening to our children. Please tell your people what is happening to us¹."

Frances saw more problems in Iraq¹s infrastructure during a visit to a water treatment plant in the city of Basra. "Chlorine is on the list of banned substances because it can be used in chemical warfare. They can¹t get enough of it to treat the water properly. There are seven stages of water purification. Only four can be carried out."

The consequences were evident in the four hospitals Frances visited during her eight days in Iraq. She saw children with kidney problems, diarrhoea, malnutrition and meningitis. A lack of antibiotics means the most virulent organisms cannot be combated.

Many children in Basra¹s hospitals have cancer. The city is close to Kuwait, where uranium shells, remnants of the Gulf War, still lie in the ground. Children find it difficult to fight radiation because their immune systems are weakened by poor diet and unhygienic water.

"I wanted to take photographs of the children to illustrate their plight but it felt obtrusive," says Frances. "I¹d talk a bit in Arabic, give the child a toy and ask to take a picture. Some of the Polaroids are the last photographs mothers have of their children.

"A man came up to us and said OHow can you do this? You bomb our country and now you want to take our photographs¹. When we explained that we were trying to educate people in the West he apologised profusely.

"The parents were obviously distressed. One woman had her only son in hospital. She broke down several times. Her son had said goodbye to his father and sisters. He wasn¹t going home. That was one insight into what hundreds of people suffer."

Free health care in Iraq ended during the Gulf War. It now costs the equivalent of about 70p a day to keep a child in hospital. Many families cannot afford it. Their children are sent home. Some children do not receive the full course of treatment because medicine has run out. Most of those she saw in hospital were closer to death than recovery.

Despite the conditions many Iraqis blame on the West, Frances found most people welcoming. "I was surprised. I thought they would have been angry and accusing because we were representatives of the countries causing their suffering.

"But they were willing to talk about what they were going through and how their lives have changed over the last ten years. Many have lost their jobs. I met families who have to share a tiny house. They sleep outside with six beds crammed together. It¹s too warm inside - electricity is rationed so fans don¹t work.

"They asked us to go back and ask the British people why we are targeting civilians. Couldn¹t we see we¹re hurting them?"

SHE adds: "Sanctions don¹t seem to be having any effect on Saddam Hussein. The idea was that they would make the Iraqi people want to get rid of him. If anything, they are strengthening his position. Because conditions are so hard it¹s difficult for opposition forces to mobilise. They are putting all their energy into surviving."

Despite the impression often given by Western media, Frances found Saddam Hussein far from a hated figure in Iraq. "There¹s a lot more support for him than you would think. It¹s largely because of the Iraqi media. They blame sanctions on the West rather than him. Even if they felt strongly against Saddam they wouldn¹t be able to criticise him.

Frances broke UN sanctions again as she left Iraq by taking dates, rugs and headscarves - sanctions prohibit exports from Iraq to any UN country. She has auctioned them off to help the people who have become such an important part of her life. "My experiences in Iraq have had a huge impact on me," says Frances. "I will continue to work until the truth about sanctions comes out."