-The gentle and kind people-

1.Preface

I stayed in Iraq for 1 year during the first half 80 years in Iraq-Iran war.

I stayed in Iraq for the 132kV substation construction in eight places of all the Iraqi of which we accepted an order by the international bid.

The Iraqi attack by the U.S.A armed Forces which begun from late March was finished in 40-day short time without the systematic counterattack of the Iraqi army, contrary to the expectation.

There are many reports of the selfish U.S.A. & U.K. that a feeling of the Iraqi people was ignored.

Though it is a short time, I lives there, and wants to state an experience a little from a point of view as the same human being from the experience communicate with the Iraqi people, without a political point of view.

2.About Iraq

It is not only that Iraq having been the dictatorship absolutism state of the Barth party by Sadam Fusein.

I want to try to look back at another side where you must not overlook it when the Iraqi report of the mass communication is seen.

It is the ancient civilization cradle needless to say surrounded by the Tigris River and the Euphrates River.

Even the air garden of Babiron, Arabian night is famous for capital Baghdad.

Though religion is Islam, there are 1% of Christianity coexists happily, too.

An economy is being supported by the petroleum export which base the oil deposits of the world the second.

Though Iraq was the colony of England, petroleum was put on the kernel of country-making after the independence, and then many Western countries were crowded petroleum rights.

U.S.A supported Sadam Fusein who started war with Iran, and France, Russia, China which opposed to the Iraqi attack by U.S.A.

and England, possess petroleum rights in Iraq.

France has the biggest economic right in Iraq.

Though mass communication doesn't report it, the reason of the war opposition country is not only pure pacifism, either.

The impression ・・・・ which many people would probably receive from the mass communication report that they weren't nice people such as the belligerent , despising woman, I thought so in Japan.

But, I knew that it was an misunderstanding as it actually went through the experience in the Iraq.

3.The bloody traffic accident in the desert

I was being guided by car from Baghdad in August, 1983 to take the inspector who come from Poland to Sinjar substation construction site about the border with Turkey.

A driver was Thai brought from the Thai subsidiary company and a Polish inspector and I was at the back seat in a car of Toyota Crown.

As a matter of fact, in Iraqi, there are many Japanese car.

Iraqi geography is easy to change on Japan.

We assume Baghdad as Tokyo, Northern big city Mosuru correspond to Sendai, Southern Basura is Osaka.

There is no green except for the oasis which scattered except the Tiguris River and the Euphrates River.

Almost whole surface is desert, as a matter of fact, small soil whose particle is smaller than the sand.

It was a sandstorm with this desert, that U.S.A force met in the suburbs of Baghdad in March.

A much bigger tornado than the sandstorm often appears, too.

I experienced the fear that the curtain of the soil color stood up suddenly in the desert as far as it was looked over to the sky, too.

In　ｔhe　desert　near　Mosuru, a light truck which put the top cover on the baggage base running through the confrontation line suddenly has crossed the front　of our car.

Our car couldn't avoid it, and our car collided with the side of the truck, and a truck turned over.

The bloody people of the group whom thought the family have gotten up from the truck.

An engine of us is great damage.

The Polish inspectors face of the back seat became white, "Noguchi, Let us run away !".

"You said wrong ! What should be done first is victim's rescue.".

"Noguchi, You don't know, the law of the Islam as that if you damage others eye, then anyone will damage your eye, also you damage others tooth, then anyone will damage your tooth.

"We must die, should we here "To where do you run away" during argument, there were many people who step down from cars

I was resigned to the beating to death momentarily、When　I　noticed、the people carry sufferer to a hospital, set up damaged car and moved to side-way then they disappeared.

We had been stayed there, soon after the police patrol car appeared that came from near check point.

They may arrested us forcibly then go to prison and we may suffer lynch・・・・・・we were seized with fear.

However, a policeman took out an accident report gently.

I who was a responsible person explained that it was the traffic accident of the inevitability.

Surprisingly the people in Iraq who rescue wounded person then left in the place supported our good reason.

When they finished to take the accident report, said as "May I help you" I asked to report of the traffic accident to our staff in Baghdad and Sinjar.

The officer replied that "please use telephone in check point".

They guided us to the check point, and let me use telephone.

I thought that officer would arrest us at least Thailand driver.

But they said that "Please go home with be careful".

For several hours past, when dusk approached, our colleague and Iraq staff came bay car to meet us from Sinjar substation near Turkey.

What will do when such an accident happens in Japan?

We may insult each other and demand compensation of the accident?

I am ashamed myself who mistook the Iraqi people for the cold-hearted people and so on.

4.Conclusion

I went to Iraq with thinking that Iran-Iraq　war is similar as the second world war, but I was surprised to be actually far from it.

They never done such thing that general people would be suffer from such as the city bombing, the destruction of the substation, the destruction of the water purification plant.

Soldiers repeat a battle in the desert.

They sometimes attack the city.

However it was at most they dropped bombs to the hotel where foreigner stay.

They don't give it to each other any further.

They never do such battle that general people are involved opposed to the case such as the Chinese aggression by Japan, the Vietnam War by U.S.A. , intentionally.

I was deeply moved than surprise.

An opinion is divided that U.S.A. armed Forces attacked Iraqi without Iraqi systematic attack.

There are many points that Kuwaiti invasion by Sadam Fusein dictatorship administration, Kurudo group attack by the poison gas can't be forgiven.

However, people and the administration is different.

I think ,from my overseas experience, that any countries people are good and have pride to the habit of the homeland, music, the religion.

I don't want to say something in the political point of view.

I want to transmit kindness and simplicity of the Iraq people with my experience, because at the present condition there are few reports about the Iraqi people.

May 5, 2003 Y.Noguchi 　

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