Diplomacy's unguarded views
Date: March 9 2003
By Michelle Grattan
Helal Aaref wasn't keen to talk about his expulsion yesterday when confronted in the drive of the Iraqi embassy in the Canberra suburb of O'Malley.
At first he agreed he was leaving Australia. But after a quick word with his boss, who was enjoying the view of the mountains from the porch of his residence next door, Mr Aaref professed ignorance.
So did the boss, charge d'affaires Dr Saad Idham Al Samarai. "When they phone me officially, I will answer officially," said Dr Al Samarai, sitting under a large umbrella, surrounded by the morning papers. Later in the day, Dr Al Samarai came clean, conceding he had been called in to the Department of Foreign Affairs on Friday.
He said that Mr Aaref was just a diplomat, who had been in consular work back home. Asked whether his number two was an intelligence agent, Mr Al Samarai said no.
Mr Aaref said, when the Sunday Age arrived, he was just going off to the markets "for some shopping, for the dinner, for the lunch".
He admitted, in an unguarded moment, that he would be sorry to leave Canberra. Then he dashed off to his car, and couldn't be found for the rest of the day.
Mr Aaref has been in Canberra only four months, and is one of five in the Iraqi embassy. His wife and children are in Iraq. Whether driven by his information gathering activities, or because he is a community-spirited bloke, Mr Aaref pitched in to help during the recent bushfires.
As we talked yesterday, a man arrived with lunch - Turkish pizza from the local shop, bread and apple juice. Mr Al Samarai invited us to tuck in.
Later he said he'd been "disappointed and astonished" when informed that Mr Aaref must leave. He said he believed the action was the result of the Americans asking for the expulsion of Iraqi diplomats.
Asked whether there had been any suggestion that Mr Aaref had been trying to recruit anyone, Mr Al Samarai replied: "To recruit who? A minister for example? The Defence Minister?"
He couldn't stop laughing.