Berg death a warning to private foreign contractors in Iraq

Reporter: Alison Caldwell
ELEANOR HALL: The death of American telecom worker Nick Berg serves as a warning to the thousands of other private contractors working there that Iraq is an extremely dangerous place.

Australia has over a dozen companies with employees either in Iraq or working with Iraqi officials on the reconstruction of the country. And while the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade warns against travel to Iraq, it says the number of business people wanting to work there is increasing all the time.

Alison Caldwell reports.

ALISON CALDWELL: The videotape of the slaughter of American telecom worker Nick Berg sent shockwaves around the world, and for the dozen or so Australian companies which have contractors in Iraq, it serves as a chilling reminder of just how volatile the situation is.

One of those companies is the international risk management firm AKE Asia Pacific. AKE was the first such operator to establish itself in Iraq, and offers private security for journalists, diplomats and other foreign nationals.

It's regional manager is Sallie Stone.

SALLIE STONE: I mean, obviously it was horrific and terribly tragic for that family.

ALISON CALDWELL: Does it cause you to think twice about the work that your contractors are doing in Iraq?

SALLIE STONE: No, not at all. Our staff are highly trained and qualified to work in that kind of environment. We employ only ex-special forces soldiers from the Australian SAS.

ALISON CALDWELL: How do you ensure what happened to Nick Berg doesn't happen to your people, or the people your people are meant to be guarding?

SALLIE STONE: Sure. I mean, I think you've got to look at people like Nick Berg. I wouldn't want to criticise somebody who has passed away in such tragic circumstances, especially when they have a family, but I think you sometimes have to ask yourself what he was doing, why was he there by himself, what kind of security support or information or intelligence he had sought before his trip to Iraq. You really have to sit back and do your homework.

ALISON CALDWELL: From December last year, Nick Berg was in Iraq helping to rebuild antennas. He'd actually returned home to the United States in February but returned soon after for more work.

He'd told his family he was hoping to be home in late March, but instead he was detained by Iraqi police in Mosul on suspicions which turned out to be without foundation. On his release, he was taken hostage by insurgents.

American truck driver Thomas Hamill was kidnapped last month, and subsequently escaped. Speaking to an American radio station in Houston, he says contractors shouldn't be deterred by what happened to him.

THOMAS HAMILL: I want to make sure that my safe return doesn't distract everyone's commitment to continue praying for our troops and the thousands of civilian contractors who risk their lives every day, just like I did, to improve the lives of the Iraqi people.

ALISON CALDWELL: It's estimated there are now 20,000 private contractors working in Iraq. Australian companies are assisting in the rehabilitation of the oil and energy sectors and offering security for Iraq's reconstruction.

For example, the ANZ Bank is helping the Trade Bank of Iraq to facilitate trade, while the CSIRO is contributing to the restoration of Iraq's southern marshland. Contractors are told to keep a low profile and to travel with armed guards.

AKE's Sallie Stone.

SALLIE STONE: Our aim is basically to be invisible. If we're working with the media, we become part of their team. If we're working with diplomats or business people, we become part of their team. We never carry weapons overtly and in some countries we don't carry weapons at all.

Companies that are hiring staff just to fulfil work in Iraq are tending to hire people that may not be well suited to that environment.

ALISON CALDWELL: Have you seen that happen?

SALLIE STONE: Yes absolutely. I mean, I wouldn't want to point out any company in specific and I don't think there's any specific company, but there are a lot of ex-police officers, a lot of ex-infantry soldiers, a lot of just your average security guard, being employed in Iraq.

That's not to say all those people can't cut it, but there are many people who are going to find themselves in what is essentially a combat situation and you really need to be with people that are fully prepared and have a full understanding of the risks and the risk assessments.

From: http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2004/s1107503.htm