---

By Andrew Marshall
Reuters
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Thursday, May 29, 2003

---

BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) - The people of Basra have a message for British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who visited their city Thursday -- Saddam Hussein may be gone, but they are still living in fear and want him to do something about it.

Few were able even to catch a glimpse of Blair -- the first Western leader to visit Iraq since the U.S.-led war to topple Saddam -- and some dismissed his trip as an empty gesture.

"He's not coming for our sake," said 67-year-old tailor Mohammed Ali, squatting in his hole-in-the-wall shop in Basra's central bazaar. "He's here to meet his soldiers. But what about us? We need security. We need life to get back to normal."

Blair flew into Basra to address the British forces in control of the southern Iraqi city and see for himself the challenges that lie ahead in rebuilding a country devastated by decades of war, dictatorship and economic sanctions.

His visit was not announced in advance because of security concerns and worries disgruntled locals might stage protests.

British troops in Basra have won praise for engaging hearts and minds and adopting a low-key approach in policing the city. There have been no bloody clashes with angry locals, unlike in parts of Iraq controlled by U.S. forces.

But Basra remains far from secure. Looting and armed robbery are widespread, unexploded ordnance is a major hazard, and residents and humanitarian agencies are clamoring for security to be improved as quickly as possible. At night, sporadic gunfire echoes through the city in the darkness.

Locals wave and give thumbs-up signs when British troops pass, but most are full of complaints about law and order.

"What has Blair done for us? We've been waiting weeks for security but this place is still a mess," Ali said. Few people use his tailoring services these days, and he earns a meager living selling Iraqi flags that he makes from colored cloth.

Basra, a mainly Shi'ite city, had a long tradition of resistance to Saddam's rule. Residents rebelled after the 1991 Gulf War but the help many locals expected from America and its allies never arrived, and the uprising was brutally put down.

There is widespread relief that Saddam has been ousted, but also widespread anger that Iraq is still in such chaos.

"We want to thank Mr. Blair for liberating us," said Ashraf Habib, 24, an ice merchant in the bazaar.

"But we ask him not to forget us now. Saddam has gone, the sanctions have been lifted, so we thought things would get better. But so far, life has not improved. What we want is security. That's what we want the British to give us."

Karim Abdullah, a retired lawyer, said he did not expect Blair's visit to make much difference to Basra's plight.

"He is here for such a short time," Abdullah said. "What can he see in just a day? We have so many problems it would take you weeks just to hear about them."

---

Direct Link:
--http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52423-2003May29.html

---