NAME: Mesoud Mohamed Ali
From: Baghdad, Iraq
Age: 33

WHEN I first met Mesoud Mohamed Ali, known to his friends as Adi, I was initially reluctant to admit that I was English, fearing that he might be somewhat angry about Britain's complicity in the destruction of his homeland. His reaction upon learning my nationality was a complete surprise. "Oh you are British," he said, beaming with pleasure. "I want to thank you and the Americans for freeing Iraq from Saddam - I am so happy about what you have done." This meeting was the beginning of my first-hand enlightenment as to how ordinary Iraqi exiles are feeling about the recent war.

Adi and two of his brothers left Iraq seven years ago because of "problems with the authorities". Their departure, without passports and with little money and few possessions, was the beginning of a three year odyssey that eventually led them to Sofia. "We had no idea where we were going," said Adi. "We just knew that we had to get out of Iraq to avoid execution or prison."

The brothers travelled clandestinely through Iran, and crossed illegally into Turkey over a mountain pass. They could only move at night and were often in perilous conditions, having no map of the region, and constantly in fear of being shot at by border guards. After several days of walking and sleeping in the open in freezing temperatures, they eventually entered Turkey and spent the next three years eking out a living from day to day as barely tolerated refugees. From there they made frequent exhausting and highly risky attempts to cross the Greek border - travelling in groups of 10 or more and sometimes spending up to 15 days walking hundreds of kilometres by night, only to be caught and returned to Turkey.

Adi complained of the extreme police brutality in Turkey, and the fact that they were not offered visas to stay as refugees, instead they were expected to register everyday at the central police station where they were often left queuing for hours. "It was a miserable time," Adi recalled. "Bulgaria is a paradise for us compared to Turkey.

At that time none of the brothers had considered crossing into Bulgaria as they had heard that the country was too poor for them to survive there, and it was not until Adi's brother returned to Turkey after yet another failed attempt at the Greek border that they decided to give Bulgaria a try. His elder brother was the first to make a successful crossing. "He telephoned us immediately and told us to come," said Adi. "He said that Bulgaria was very beautiful."

Adi made five unsuccessful attempts to cross into Bulgaria, eventually managing to follow his brother over a year later. Their other brother came soon after and now the three of them share a flat in Sofia. Adi has been here for 15 months and has already received refugee status for three years, his brother has not been so lucky - he still has to renew his visa every three months and does not have a passport to travel abroad, but they had no complaints and were full of praise for Bulgaria. "I'm very happy here," said Adi. "The freedom is incredible. I spent three years looking over my shoulder so it was such a pleasure to walk normally on the streets in Sofia."

"If the police see me on the street late at night," he continued, "they ask politely to see my documents and, if everything's in order, there's no problem. It wasn't like that in Iraq or Turkey." He described how a permanent midnight curfew in Baghdad under Saddam Hussein meant that being caught on the streets with or without a good reason could lead to several years' imprisonment. "The people were very angry about this, but were too scared to do anything," he explained. "You could only hate the regime inside your head. There was no international media to learn about the outside world - only two state television channels and radio stations - Saddam modelled himself on Stalin, he wanted complete control of the people."

The news of the Coalition forces' successful invasion of Iraq was an absolute joy for the brothers. "We managed to speak to our family in Baghdad after the Americans entered," Adi said, "and we told them to do all they could to help the Americans and the British, and that everything would be okay." Their family told them to come home immediately, but, though Adi is desperate to return after seven years in exile, he is reluctant to go so soon. "Iraq has to be rebuilt little by little, not in one day," he said. "I will go back perhaps after a year or so, when things have improved."

Asked if he thought the Coalition forces should leave as soon as possible, Adi vehemently objected to the suggestion. "They must stay at least five or 10 years," he said. "We need them there. If they leave, there can be all kinds of problems from our neighbours. You've probably heard reports in the media that Iraqis want the Coalition forces out, and it's true for perhaps one million people, but I can assure you that the other 21 million want the troops to stay."

"Many Arab states are making a lot of noise, saying that the Americans just want Iraq's oil, but that's not right - I would happily give the Americans all of our oil for free, it means nothing to me. Freedom from Saddam is infinitely more valuable. We will never forget what the coalition forces did. Let our neighbours speak for themselves and not for Iraq."

If you are, or know, someone who would make an interesting expat of the week, please email their name(s) and contact information to mattwillis@sofiaecho.com.