Journalist on a mission to Iraq (From Gazette Series)

Journalist on a mission to Iraq

FORMER Gazette journalist Tim Lezard landed in Iraq this week to meet politicians and trade unionists.

Tim, 36, of Berkeley, who on Sunday retired from his one-year post as president of the National Union of Journalists, has joined a principally British delegation comprising politicians and senior trade union officials for the ten-day trip.

The group will spend a week in Erbil, north of Baghdad, where they will meet the President and Prime Minister of Iraqi Kurdistan, Massoud Barzani, together with workers struggling to form trade unions in the aftermath of the invasion of Iraq. Other trade unionists will travel to the city from Baghdad to meet the delegation.

Tim said: "Trade Unionists were among the most vocal opponents of Saddam Hussein and many of them suffered for their beliefs, spending many years being tortures and languishing in his jails.

"The point of our trip is to make contact with fellow trade unionists and express solidarity with them whilst learning how we can help them, whether it's providing them with equipment or training to support their fledgling movement. Trade unions play a key role in any civil society and Iraq is no different."

Joining the delegation on this project is Abdullah Muhsin, foreign representative of the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions. He also stressed the importance of unions as part of Iraq's new non-sectarian civil society.

The National Union of Journalists has been one of the most consistent voices against the war since the invasion three years ago, believing it to be an immoral and illegal crusade. Writing for the Socialist Worker this month, Tim said that as a trade union, the NUJ is committed to peace, and believes that "the government uses information as a weapon to influence media coverage to suit its political and strategic interests."

While he acknowledges that some NUJ members believe their job to be impartial, Tim believes his role is to ask questions, scrutinise the answers given and to hold official institutions to account. These beliefs, coupled with Tim's support of Iraq's struggle for democracy and labour rights, has led him to collaborate with other like-minded people to take their wealth of experience to this war torn country.

Although the area in which the delegation will base itself is one of the safest, this trip is not without its risks.

"As a self-rule province, Kurdistan is Iraq's most stable region, although we're taking no risks with security because we'll be accompanied by armed bodyguards everywhere we go and we'll be travelling in armoured 4x4s," added Tim before leaving Berkeley last week.