A BOURNEMOUTH woman who met kidnapped aid worker Margaret Hassan while working in Iraq has described her as "very tough".

Freelance journalist Christine Aziz visited Mrs Hassan's office in Baghdad five years ago while working on a story about how sanctions were affecting Iraqi women.

"She struck me as being an unassuming woman, and very tough. She clearly loved Iraq, and I remember asking her if she wasn't tempted to go back to Britain and enjoy a sanction-free life," recalled Mrs Aziz, of Westbourne.

"She said she had made several visits to family and friends, and it was always a relief to have some luxury, but she never wanted to stay. She felt too guilty knowing what was happening in Iraq and always had to go back."

At the time of the interview, Mrs Hassan was already working for the charity Care International, which has now pulled out of Iraq.

Dublin-born Mrs Hassan first went to the country more than 30 years ago after marrying an Iraqi. She converted to Islam, learned Arabic and took Iraqi citizenship, staying in her adopted homeland through the Iran-Iraq war, the 1991 Gulf War, 13 years of UN sanctions and last year's invasion by Britain and the USA.

Mrs Aziz said she had sensed "simmering anger" when she asked Mrs Hassan about the effect of sanctions. "She expressed concern at the increased number of children who had taken to begging in the streets. Neither of us knew then that it was to get much, much worse," said Mrs Aziz.

"Margaret is the sort of person who, when she is released, and let's pray she is, will use her experience to highlight the fact that hundreds of Iraqis have been and are being grabbed off the street in broad daylight and held to ransom. Not just westerners."

First published: Oct 25