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A library in mortal peril

— PHOTO: AP

RICH REPOSITORY: Checking out the archives at the National Library in Baghdad.

BAGHDAD: The Iraqi National Library’s director has appealed to the U.S. and Iraqi militaries to leave his books and archives out of the fight, warning their recent occupation of the building had put one of the nation’s most important cultural institutions at risk.

Saad Eskander, who has overseen the restoration of the library after it was burned and looted following the 2003 invasion, claimed that U.S. and Iraqi troops had forced their way into the three-story building this week as part of security preparations for a major Shiite pilgrimage.

It is not uncommon for American and Iraqi forces to temporarily commandeer houses and buildings for use as rest stops or lookout posts during military operations. But Mr. Eskander said the Iraqi National Library & Archives should be exempt from such activities since it is a repository for the national heritage.

The presence of foreign forces in the building could make it a target for insurgents, he said, expressing additional concern that the soldiers themselves could steal something. He acknowledged that the library’s holdings had not suffered any damage yet but said it was important to protect the institution’s integrity.

“I hold the Iraqi and the U.S. armies responsible for any damage inflicted on priceless documents or any human casualties due to this illegal operation,” he said. “Any damage or theft will represent a cultural catastrophe along the lines of the looting of the Iraqi Museum after the fall of Baghdad in 2003.”

The U.S. military said it was looking into Mr. Eskander’s claims. The Iraqi Defence Ministry declined to comment.

The library is in central Baghdad, near three neighbourhoods notorious for Sunni insurgent attacks, kidnappings and late-night murders. Stray bullets frequently hit the building. Mortar shells land in the front court. Fighting sometimes forces Mr. Eskander to close the library. One closure last year lasted two weeks.

Mr. Eskander was speaking by telephone from his home as the library was closed while the city remained under a three-day curfew that began on Wednesday to prevent attacks during a major Shiite pilgrimage in Baghdad.

That was the reason the Iraqi soldiers gave in occupying the library, breaking windows and the gates to the building, Mr. Eskander said, citing reports he received from the facility’s 16 guards, who said they had been interrogated.

“They said they wanted to be stationed on top of the building in order to protect the pilgrims, but the INLA building does not overlook any main street or the path the pilgrims are taking,” he said.

Mr. Eskander said he spoke to the Iraqi commander on the phone and asked him to vacate the building but the request was refused. U.S. troops also entered the building without permission on Monday, he said.

The National Library was one of two cultural landmarks in Baghdad that were looted following the fall of Baghdad on April 9, 2003. The other was the National Museum. Many of its treasures have been returned but the museum remains shut for security reasons.

Mr. Eskander, who holds a British passport and writes a journal in English that is published on several websites, has repaired the damage, established computer and book restoration departments and made the collection accessible to the public..Mr. Eskander also has support from the British Library, which publishes his journal. “He has sought to position his institution as a neutral or secular place,” said Andy Stephens of ssthe British Library. — AP

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