[MSN] Iraqi National Library's director appeals 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.

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Iraqi National Library chief warns military raids threaten cultural landmark


The Associated Press 
Thursday, August 9, 2007 
BAGHDAD: The Iraqi National Library's director appealed to the U.S. and
Iraqi militaries on Thursday 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 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 Eskander's claims. The Iraqi
Defense Ministry declined to comment.

The library is in central Baghdad, near three neighborhoods 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 Eskander to close the library. One closure last year lasted
two weeks.

Eskander was speaking by telephone from his home as the library was closed
while the city remained under a three-day curfew that began 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, 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.

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.

Eskander, who holds a British passport and writes a journal in English that
is published on several Web sites, has repaired the damage, established
computer and book restoration departments and made the collection accessible
to the public.

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, the British Library's board secretary. "Our concern is
that an institution like the library so fundamentally holds the memory of
the nation that it's really important that it shouldn't be put at risk."

___

Associated Press writer Sameer N. Yacoub in Baghdad contributed to this
report.

http://www.iht.com/