Cyprus; the Golden Apple

By:Latif Yahia
There is no getting away from it, the ads, the internet, everywhere you turn there it is, a paradise on earth waiting for your arrival; Cyprus.The beauty of Cyprus is indeed incomparable, the history impeccable, where else in the world could Aphrodite be born but on the beautiful island of Cyprus. LOVE CYPRUS.Without doubt on your two week vacation you will fall in love with Cyprus, you will find the laid back lifestyle so attractive in comparison to our hectic, harried lives. The Sun, Sea and Sand will also have you believing in the dream. LOVE CYPRUS.Many, many people have happily holidayed in Cyprus year-in, year-out without ever setting foot outside the resort, village or comfort zone that they so readily cling to, and maybe that is for the best because if they did, maybe they may not LOVE CYPRUS.
My story began like so many others with a two week holiday, although in hindsight maybe I should have read the warning signs that are now so obvious! There were seven of us, three adults and four ‘Children’, I had done the unusual and booked a package holiday, it was the only way we could get to Cyprus as there were no direct flights only charter, so, if we were to fly charter we may as well be with the rest of the holidaymakers.I had paid in full, collected our tickets and organised a very large Taxi to drive us the 50 miles to the airport. We all bundled out, found trolleys and began looking for our check-in desk. Having traipsed up and down the length of the departures level, my wife headed for information, there was one gentleman in front of her in the queue who seemed to be looking for the same information as we were, but as she waited two uniformed ladies approached the desk and told the lady serving in quite a coded fashion, ‘that thing that we thought might happen, has’. Suddenly it dawned on us why the girl in the travel agent had been so single-minded that we bought insurance!
For hours we were none the wiser, no-one seemed to have any information and the rep for the company involved upon receiving a text message telling her ‘We’re bust’ packed up her stuff and left before we even arrived. ( Having said that, I probably wouldn’t have hung around either to deal with holidaymakers who weren’t going on holiday!) As the day progressed, other people’s stories were emerging, a Wedding Party, a stag party, couples, families all with the same intention as us, some time in the sun. Eventually, there seemed to be some hope, we wee told that the charter plane would be flown in from Czech or somewhere and would fly us there, but we would be flying back with another company. A cheer rose up from the crowd, ‘Yes, we’re going’. At this point we were in the airport for the best part of six hours, my mother, an insulin diabetic was flagging and the four children were getting bored. No-one offered us a complimentary anything, not even an apology. Then the crux came, one of the check-in desks had life, we all swarmed about jostling in the hopes of finally unloading our trolleys of luggage. But we soon realised that checking-in was not on the agenda, being the avid documentarian that I am I whipped out the camera to film the event, the lady, told us loudly while standing on the check-in desk that ‘there would be no plane and we should go home and contact our travel agent’ a discommoded grumble ran through the crowd, with an extra cry of disbelief from the Wedding Party. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed that the girl on the floor beside the bearer of bad news was pointing in my direction and radioing someone, I put away my camera. Alas, it was too late! Airport security was on top of me, demanding that I hand over my camera for it to be confiscated. Asking that of me was like asking me to hand over one of my children! I refused and was taken very noisily to the Airport police station. Without sounding paranoid, if you have ever seen the film rendition, well lets just say that that would be my wife’s greatest fear! As they hauled me off (in my suit and tie, I may add) my wife had quickly briefed the children and my mother on what to do during our absence. I was taken one way while my wife was brought another and although she could see me being led down one corridor she was unable to follow. Have you ever been in a situation of heightened emotions? What do you think is the ‘worst thing’ that you can tell someone in that position? Well, my wife found out, usually a very quiet and reserved person, she found herself defending me loudly, firing quick instructions to our then 15 year old and running alongside a policewoman to try and catch up with me, the policewoman turned to her and said ‘calm down’.
Has anyone ever told you to ‘calm down’ while you were in the height of it? Did you find it helpful? I know my wife didn’t!So there we are, the happy band, I, in an Airport police interview room, my wife pacing outside, frantically co-ordinating between the children upstairs, my Mother, who is about to have a diabetic fit because she doesn’t speak English and has just seen me carted off by ‘Police’ and our friends awaiting our arrival in Cyprus.After some 20 mins or so, my wife glances out the window of the Airport police station to see me being taken away in a police car, panic-stricken, she dashed out of the office across the road and straight for the police car, ‘what’s going on? Where are you taking him?’ she queried, I replied from the back seat, ‘it’s OK, honey, they have to take me down to the proper police station, I won’t be long, just see if you can get us tickets out of here’ and away I went, the Arab man in the suit who was arrested in the Airport.

Cyprus Geographically,

When I was growing up, we of course studied Geography as a subject, this was in the 70’s and some of the 80’s and indeed the world map has changed many, many times. But to my recollection Cyprus was always listed as part of the Middle-East.

Located off the Coast of Israel/ Palestine, Jordan and of course Turkey. It is also in close proximity to northern Africa, and there are many cruises to Egypt from Cyprus, but don’t think you can get a passenger/car ferry to Cyprus, well not to the Cypriot side anyway, and if you dare to bring your car through from the Turkish side it will be blacklisted, you have been warned!

So, when then did it become Europe? I presume when Greece did, although the Cypriots have independence from Greece, but really, it is only since 2006 that the Cypriot government have started to use EU law and even at that it is yet to be fully utilised.

So, why then is Cyprus considered to be EU? Well, there is one theory, Cyprus is a divided country in the 1970’s Cyprus was attacked by Turkey, who then occupied half of the island, including the famous holiday resort of Famagusta, I never travelled to the occupied side as I don’t like occupiers of any kind, but have heard many stories of ghost towns, where people fled the Turkish army and left everything where it lay.

Turkey has applied for membership to the EU, now Turkey is a secular Muslim country and as such would be the first Muslim country in the EU should they become a member. Also Turkey shares borders with countries like Iraq, Syria, Iran and Georgia, borders that are very hard to control.

So, if one were of a mind, you could surmise that Cyprus is the fly in Turkey’s ointment, give up your occupied territories or shelve your ideas of EU membership.

It’s a lot easier to occupy somewhere than to leave it, just ask America. (50 years on and they still haven’t left Germany)

Cyprus Politically,

Cyprus has a ‘Socialist’ government, it has a president and he is active, not just a figure head. Of course not so long ago the Cypriot political leader was also their Religious leader, Archbishop Makarious, there is at least one street in each town named in his honour, and he is very much imbedded in the Cypriot psyche. Relatively speaking, the Turkish invasion, which happened during the leadership of Archbishop Makarious was quite recent, ( 30 years is well within the memory of most people) and so he is quite the hero.

Cyprus is ( I speak only of the ’Free’ side ) broken up into four regions, Nicosia, this is the capital of Cyprus the city itself is divided in two, somewhat halved down the middle by the invasion. The Airport ended up on the Turkish side, so, no flights into the Capital, well not from Europe anyway! Nicosia is ruled by the government, the ministers families make good marriages between themselves and of course stay in power that way. All the big business is there and so is the money.

Larnaca, which has an International Airport is run by a man named Fanieros, he started out as a bodyguard for Archbishop Makarious during the war and made a name for himself, during peace time however, he fashioned himself on Don Corleone (the Godfather) and having taken a bullet in the neck (literally) for Archbishop Makarious, has the voice to go along with the image. Fanieros runs a very high profile security company in Larnaca, they protect places of importance like the Airport and Schools. But, what they really like to do is ‘protect’ small businesses, bars, clubs and restaurants. Until now, no-one in the Cypriot media has EVER written an article about Fanieros, and while I was there, even though I had a very big story about him, everyone I brought it to declined, that is how powerful he is in Larnaca. Fanieros owns a ‘Hotel’ where he carries out his business, it is known to be a place of torture and men of his employ who have fallen out of favour have died in terrible accidents, one of which was where two men reportedly tried to set fire to a nightclub and were caught in the inferno themselves. I KNEW THESE TWO MEN, because they had been sent to me by Fanieros offering me the services of his security company.

He is often seen driving down the street flanked on either side by bodyguards on motorbikes and followed closely by the ‘Black Hummer’ the only one in town.

But that is not to say that Fanieros Larnaca is the only evil in Larnaca. The municipal system itself in Larnaca is not much better.

Cyprus is all about who you know, which works well if you are Cypriot, but is an utter nightmare if you don’t. It is also set up to be so slow that you incur fines, before you even begin. There are huge deposits to pay for services because you are not Cypriot even though you may be European, and you are still required to register with immigration who will send you off to get a million different things just so that you can pay the fees here there and everywhere, before asking ‘Who told you to do that, it’s all wrong!’ My wife spent many, many months going to interviews and providing proof of this that and the other to finally attain residency two weeks before we left!

Every man you meet will tell you ‘it’s okay, I know someone, I’ll help you’ if it involves money, walk away! People who honestly want to help won’t ask for money and those that ask and receive money, well, you’ve just opened a door that you won’t be able to close.

While I think of it, the ordinary policeman is on such a low wage that Fanieros subsidises his income, so if you happen to fall out with Fanieros, don’t expect the regular cop to bite the hand that feeds him. I have personally witnessed a Judge walk out of a courtroom and refuse to take on a case against Fanieros, such is the legend of the man.

Limassol.

Limassol is the main port of Cyprus, a very large and thriving city. Limassol is run by a Russian mafia, they drive a ‘yellow Hummer’ they do not wander into the Larnaca areas and vice-versa. As for their activities I have no personal experience, but have been reliably informed that they pretty much do the same as in Larnaca, Prostitution, Bingo, Protection.

Paphos.

Well Paphos is a different story, Paphos is run by the church(Greek Orthodox), they control the water and own most of the land in this area, they have a very stringent hold on things like what signs you can or can’t put on your premises to advertise your business! Arguably the most beautiful part of the island, incorporating the birthplace of Aphrodite, there are many luxury villas, hotels and resorts.

While I lived in Cyprus Paphos town had the highest rate of pollution in Europe, I’m sure it’s something that they are working on!

Middle-east

There are a few British military bases, they are built on areas that were completely demolished in the War. They are obviously completely run by the British and even have their own courts and police, as has happened to me you may not even realise that you are in a military base, you can and will be stopped for speeding or whatever and you can guarantee that you will be fined on the spot.

My father-in-law while visiting us, drove through one of these bases and just for the hell of it started speaking in a Northern Irish accent, within seconds there was an army jeep behind their rental car which quietly escorted them off the base!

Cyprus is a listening base for the Middle-east, do not be under any illusion, while there your phone calls are monitored.

Troodos, the mountain range in the centre of the island is a winter wonderland, to be able to go from the sun, sea and sand on the coast to the heights of the Troodos mountains is just fantastic, if you knew no better you could easily believe that you were in the Alps. Except I don’t remember seeing huge white golf balls on Mont Blanc! (the listening posts I mentioned earlier)

Property

Everyone loves to have a holiday home and Cyprus has some beautiful houses, built on the Mediterranean/Arabic style villa, they are spacious, pretty and usually detached, sounds too good to be true? Well it can be, only since January of 2009 has it become law that the seller has to relinquish the deeds to the property that he has sold to you. All sales before this date were by contract yes, but you did not necessarily receive your deeds and in a lot of cases, especially if you bought a holiday home, your house was sold up to five times! And that was if you purchased it from the real owner in the first place! A friend of mine just avoided buying a house from someone who didn’t own it, the house belonged to a Saudi who had not used it in years, a neighbour who noticed that there was a lot of interest in the property from foreigners thought that he would make some money (well a lot actually, a Cypriot pound at the time was nearly 2 euros) and went about selling it to the unwitting tourists, because there were no deeds, it went unnoticed, until the real owner re-appeared!

I sat in on a case in court one day where the same house was sold to four different couples, one couple had been living in the house for the best part of a year, one couple had bought the property years earlier but through illness etc had not been able to use the property, and the other two couples had been sold the property on a time-share basis. The judge directed that the couple now living in the house were the owners and that all the rest were free to sue the ‘vendor’ in a civil action. He walked away free that day, no charges or fraud were brought against him.

Another property scam was/is with apartments, some people bought from plans others were flown out on these special tour/house hunting deals. Either way the results were the same, the apartments would be sold, some paid outright others mortgaged, no-one would receive their deeds and the property developer would use the deeds to each apartment to raise funds for his next development, no panic, until of course the next project failed and the banks went in for repossession or the developer skipped town because he didn’t pay his taxes.

Some scandals that are coming to light now are where properties on both sides of the divided island were sold illegally, during the invasion, Catholics were driven from the North side of the island and Muslims from the South, leaving behind their houses and lands. Entrepreneurs in the 80’s and onwards spotted these houses lying around and decided to develop a very exciting property market, of course these houses did and still do belong to people and if /when Cyprus is re-united and let’s remember that it is one of the conditions of Turkey’s membership into the EU there will be a lot of quarrelling over property that has been sold without the consent or knowledge of the owner.

Exclusive: RT Visits the Set of The Devil's Double

Dominic Cooper plays Saddam Hussein’s son.

by Joe Utichi April 29, 2010

With the cowboy hat, the shades and the massive smile, he looks like the kind of guy you'd meet in a bar. You might buy him a drink, laugh at him stumbling over his words, and think him a bit of an idiot. He might be the life and soul of the party. You'd be forgiven if it never crossed your mind that he might be the son of a tyrannical dictator.

But that's exactly who he is, for this is Uday Hussein, as brought to life by Dominic Cooper on the set of new film The Devil's Double. The film is the tale of Hussein's son and his enslaved body double, Latif Yahia (also played by Cooper) and it's a decidedly different twist on the Iraq movie we've come to expect over the last couple of years.

Set in 1980s Baghdad, it's awash with bright neons, expensive clothes and chintzy jewelry. It's a picture of the hidden excesses of the Hussein regime -- a sight few in Iraq ever witnessed - and a harsh contrast between the Husseins and their poverty-stricken populous.

For Cooper, it was Latif Yahia's story that proved so fascinating. Forced to undergo plastic surgery and put himself at risk as Uday's body double, Yahia's scars may not be as physical as many who came across the Husseins, but they're no doubt just as deep.

"It's an incredible journey about how the man had to lose his own identity, really, and change," Cooper tells RT. "For him it was life threatening. Not just for himself but also for his family, which is what, I suppose, gave him a reason to take on the role -- to become the double."

But trying to get to grips with the depths Uday Hussein plumbed has been a challenge for the actor. "It was certainly a worry for me from the very beginning to play somebody for whom I could find absolutely no moral grounding or qualities that I liked about him," says Cooper. "And that's always difficult because you've got to inhabit who they are and find something that's, not necessarily charming, but that gives you an understanding of why that person behaved in a certain way. But there's no justification for any of his actions."

The film co-stars Ludivine Sagnier and is being directed by Once Were Warriors helmer Lee Tamahori. And it is, he says, an Iraqi Scarface. "It's a real bandit movie, a real gangster movie. I've always been fascinated by the sons of dictators and despots. They usually die in a hail of blood. They're guys with an immense amount of power and an enormous amount of money. They can do anything they like and Uday was exactly that. We're telling a soft story compared to what I've heard about this guy."

The Devil's Double will be released next year.

The Devil's Double Preview

IGN visits the set of the intriguing new film about Saddam Hussein's son.

IGN's exclusive still features Ludivine Sagnier as Sarrab and Dominic Cooper as Uday Hussein.

by Joe Utichi, IGN UK

UK, April 7, 2010 - 1980s Baghdad. More specifically, a lavish nightclub in '80s Baghdad; the clothes, the music, the gold Rolex-wearing sheiks. On the level below, a dozen heavily made-up and permed Iraqi women in tiny mini-skirts are dancing to some electro dance beat. Upstairs, in the VIP area, all attention is focused on one man - Saddam Hussein's son Uday - as he drinks and dances with a bevy of impossibly attractive girls. His bodyguards, armed to the teeth, keep a close watch. This is his world, and everyone else in the building is here to please him.

IGN has come to this opulent scene 30 years after the fact, eerily recreated on the set of a new film, The Devil's Double, not in Iraq but on the tiny Mediterranean island of Malta. This is an Iraq we've never seen before; one of astounding excess and expense and a far cry from the sandblasted, shredded buildings, large tanks and loud explosions we've come to expect from films set in this area of the globe. This is less The Hurt Locker, more Scarface.
And, by all accounts, this is the Iraq that news cameras failed to spot during the first Gulf War. In fact, it's an Iraq that never existed beyond the boundaries of the country's first family: a picture of the divide between the immoderation of Saddam's Ba'athist ruling class and the overwhelming poverty of his subjects.

The Devil's Double of the title is Latif Yahia, whose unfortunate physical similarity to Uday Hussein results in him being kidnapped and forced to work as his body double. We discover this world as he does, plucked from his modest station as a private in the Iraqi army and then coached in the lavish lifestyle of Saddam's son.

Instructed to make public appearances where the risk of assassination was too great - or the distractions of partying too enticing - for the real Uday, he's forced to risk his life in service to the Husseins' regime.

What's most astonishing is that this is based on a true story. An autobiography of the same name by Yahia - now living far from his home country - provides the backdrop for the tale, which is directed by Die Another Day helmer Lee Tamahori. Dominic Cooper plays dual roles, as Uday and Latif, while French actress Ludivine Sagnier is Uday's concubine, and Latif's secret lover, Sarrab.

"I've always been fascinated by the sons of dictators and despots," explains Tamahori when IGN catches him during brief break from the film's tight schedule. "They usually die in a hail of blood. They're guys with an immense amount of power and an enormous amount of money. They can do anything they like. In fact, we're telling a soft story compared to what I've heard about this guy."

But, he explains, this is really Yahia's story. "At its core we have an innocent man, a kidnap victim who's dragged into this, which is equally compelling. So you've got these two playing off each other. I met the real Latif, and I said, 'I'm not making a film of your story. I'm telling a different story, about a psychopath and an innocent guy who's caught up with him.' He understands that."

For Cooper, the importance is in the audience understanding Latif's struggle. "This story is so full of such monstrosity and awful violence that you need to see Latif as a kind man in a terrible situation with no alternative," he explains. "And he's ultimately prepared to sacrifice his own life because he knows how horrendous it is and the effect that the person he's doubling for is having on other people."

But for the film's Yahia, the world Uday inhabits is not without its charms. "There are great little scenes where he's offered luxury cars and things and I think he does get rather tempted by them," explains Cooper. "The stories I hear of [Uday]; he was in charge. No one fucked with him. No one crossed him, no one said anything against him, and he had no boundaries. With all the money you could ever desire and all the drugs you'd ever want, he had everything. They were a bunch of rock stars and they did what they wanted to do."

Dominic Cooper, looking very Scarface in The Devil's Double.

"It's a real bandit movie, a real gangster movie in Iraq," says Tamahori. "Dom's an actor who's got huge amounts [of energy]. But we've got to watch the physical nature of it because he's going at it every day. It's going to wear him out, so we've got to be really careful. It's just ruthless."

The challenge for the actor is in balancing the two extremes of personality in the dual roles of Latif and Uday. "Every level of it is completely mesmerizing," he explains. "I am finding it tough to constantly switch between the two of them."

The physical torment of the shoot is clearly taking its toll. Our day on set is long, and since both characters are in these scenes, everything must be shot twice. In the morning he's Latif Yahia and after a quick lunch he emerges from the costume trailer as Uday Hussein. When he finally sits down with IGN towards the end of the day, he's exhausted by it all.

Tamahori, for his part, doesn't seem to be working any less tirelessly. He darts around the set every minute, pausing behind the camera only to call "Action," on a shot.

"I'm always like that," he laughs when we point out that we've rarely seen a director so animated. "I'm a pretty active director; I like to be up with my actors, not stuck behind monitors. We're pushing ourselves to the limit everyday. We're trying to do high quality on moderate to low budget. But we have a great crew and a fabulous cast and we're making it work."

The Devil's Double is a look at some of the darkest, and least often reported, elements of the Hussein regime. But it's not the heavily politicised Iraq movie most have come to expect, and it seems clear the emphasis is on creating a truly entertaining experience against the backdrop of a fascinating story. The results will hopefully speak for themselves when the film is released next year.

Exclusive Pic From The Devil's Double

Dominic Cooper as Uday Hussein

By: Damon Wise
As The Hurt Locker gears up for the Oscars and Green Zone nears release, a new kind of Iraq movie is being filmed in Malta, one with a very different focus. Starring An Education's Dominic Cooper in a dual role, The Devil's Double tells the true story of Latif Yahia, an Iraqi soldier who was forced to become a stand-in/decoy for Uday Hussein, the insane son of ruling tyrant Saddam.
Set in 1987, the film promises to be a middle-eastern Scarface-style gangster thriller, in which Yahia is thrown headlong into a world of outrageous opulence and raw, vicious violence – although, in this case, the fiction might not quite match the truly absurd reality. “We're telling a soft story compared to what I've heard about this guy,” says director Lee Tamahori, who knows this turf, having helmed the OTT Bond movie Die Another Day and the gritty Kiwi gang drama Once Were Warriors.
The gangster element, however, is just one element of the story being told here. “Everybody likes gangsters,” says Tamahori, “and there's no doubt that Uday is gonna drive right over the top of the story, but at the core we have an innocent man, a kidnapped soldier, who's been dragged into this situation, which is equally compelling. So you've got these two characters playing off each other.
"On the one hand, it's about a guy, Uday, who's in love with himself. He has a mad, Oedipal complex – his father doesn't love him, and we all know who his father is! He can't have the respect that he wants from his father, and he's wildly out of control: guns, money, women, death. There's something extremely volatile about that. And then we've got this other guy, Latif, who came into this situation as an innocent and actually got himself out of it. So it's about an innocent man being dragged into a hellish environment, trying to maintain a decency and an equilibrium, then trying to escape from it.”
We can expect to see the finished Devil's Double sometime late this year or early next.

IRISH PASSPORTS, ASSASSINS ONLY NEED APPLY.

By: Latif Yahia

www.latifyahia.com

In recent days we have seen a huge diplomatic scandal explode; the use of European passports by alleged Mossad agents in the death squad sent to kill Hamas member Mahmoud al- Mabhouh on January 20, 2010 in his Dubai hotel room.

It is not the first time that Mossad has used this ploy and probably won’t be the last, other examples are the use of British passports in 1987, Canadian passports in 1997 and New Zealanders passports in 2004, but among the British and French passports used in the 20/01/2010 mission were Irish passports.

When the news broke it didn’t really surprise me, Mossad and Hamas have had a long and brutal relationship and both sides will go to any lengths to win, Britain and France are truly multi-cultural countries and have very established minority (although some would challenge the term minority) communities. So to attempt to portray oneself as British or French while not being as milky as ball of buffalo mozzarella is not difficult, the Irish however have managed to maintain their milky-ness as it is only in the last 15-20 years that they have truly experienced an upsurge in immigration.

When I arrived in Dublin in late 1997, I was easily spotted in the street, something that would work in reverse in London or Paris. In those days I was happy to stand out, it meant that there were not a lot of Arabs, but more importantly Iraqis in Ireland.

Having fled continental Europe from the long reach of Saddam, Uday and the regime that had been able to reach me as far away from Baghdad as London, Dublin seemed thankfully distant from it all. Life became relatively quiet for me and I was grateful.

So then, why am I writing this article? Well I did say life was “relatively” quiet for me in Ireland, I have never been one to see something wrong and shut my mouth, if I had then I probably would have died by Uday’s side or instead of him in the villa, a good little body-double to the end. So what really irks me about this whole passport situation is it is not the first time that the wrong people have gotten their hands on something that the Irish government tell me is valuable!

To give you a feel for my frustration I am giving you an excerpt from one (of many) letters that I have received from the dept of Justice regarding my own application for Naturalization

“ applications for naturalization must be processed in a way which preserves the necessary checks and balances to ensure that IT IS NOT UNDERVALUED AND IS ONLY GIVEN TO PEOPLE WHO GENUINELY SATISFY THE NECESSARY QUALIFYING CRITERIA.”

Okay, I know what you’re thinking, what has my citizenship application got to do with Mossad agents with Irish passports. Well, more than you might think, I am presently on my third application for citizenship and of course if they ever decide after the three years that I am waiting to give me an answer in the negative, I will indeed pack my bags and turn my back on the only country that has felt like home in my19 years outside Iraq. I could go on about having an Irish wife, kids etc but that’s another article.

My point here is that as far as I am concerned the Irish don’t value their passport because if they did then they wouldn’t give citizenship to people like Bahaa al-Araji a member of the Iraqi Parliament representing Al-Sadr party (for those of you unfamiliar with Iraqi politics, it is like Sinn Fein being the political wing of the IRA but I wouldn’t want to give the IRA a bad name) and the Head of Law in the present Iraqi government, someone who openly in the media said ‘fuck the Irish, I got what I wanted and so what if I used a fake name” if you were to ask him why he used a fake name I’m sure he would use the tried and tested ‘for my safety’ line, I have used this line, I will not deny it, but I meant it and have several scars to prove that I was under threat and barely escaped. Less about me, more about Bahaa al-Araji, he was unknown to the Iraqi opposition before 2003, he was a corrupt lawyer in Iraq but never actually went to court because he couldn’t get clients no matter how much he tried to undercut his contemporaries fees. He lived in Dublin on social welfare and drove his Nissan Micra, after the fall of Saddam he started to buy up properties in Dublin and it may be an exaggeration but only a small one, for me to say that he owns a quarter of the property in Dublin’s City centre. He now drives a bullet and bomb proof Mercedes around Dublin on his visits and also owns property in London and Dubai. Just for your own information his brother Hazim al-Araji a Shi’ite fundamentalist is a Canadian citizen and has openly declared that ‘all Sunnis should be killed’, he is the right hand man of Muqtada al-Sadr who is the commander of the al-Sadr militia, which is supported by Iran. But where are the Irish officials in the midst of all this, are they happy that they gave their valuable passport to Bahaa?

I suppose I was shocked at the response of the Irish Minister for foreign affairs Mr. Micheal Martin when questioned on radio and television about the use of Irish passports by Mossad, he seemed speechless firstly (typical of the Irish politician, eh.. ummm.. well…), and then after calling upon the Israeli envoy to Ireland Zion Evrony, stated that he ‘had nothing useful to tell Ireland’, embarrassing? I would think so.

The case continues..

While I am on the subject of Iraqis seeking refuge can I just say that pre 2003 there were a lot of Shi’ite Muslims coming out of Iraq looking for sanctuary, Saddam was an equal opportunities Dictator, he terrorized all equally, you got in his way he ran over you Shi’ite, Sunni or Kurd. After the fall of Saddam all Iraqis got themselves new ID, one with a Sunni name, the other with a Shi’ite name so they could produce identification to whichever side they encountered. But it is still mainly the Shi’ite that arrive in Europe, many now claiming that they are Sunni, because they are more likely to achieve refugee status. This is a very dangerous situation for Europe, the Shi’ite are backed by Iran, since 2003 the population of Iraq has grown immensely, when you take into consideration how many people have been killed, are refugees in Iraq, outside Iraq or have disappeared for the population to go from 20 million in the 90’s with war and sanctions to 32 million now, you have to ask, where did they all come from? The answer is easy, Iran. I have mentioned sleeper cells before, I am not a scaremonger, they exist.

In the early to mid-nineties a doctor called Abu Hasan came to Ireland, he practiced as a doctor in one of the hospitals in Dublin until the day he realized that there was no Shi’ite mosque, realizing the potential in this he laid down his stethoscope, dressed himself in clerical robes and headed to Iran. There he received funding to open a shi’ite Mosque, he then bought land and built a block of apartments supposedly in the name of the mosque in one of the most expensive areas in Dublin and went about renting them out to refugees, He enlisted many of the patrons of his mosque and they have become his eyes and ears in Irish government departments. Most notably Basim, he is abu Hasan’s eyes and ears in the department of Justice, as an interpreter he meets nearly every Arab that seeks asylum in Ireland and knows every Immigration officer personally, each case is reported to abu Hasan and then to Iran. Those whom he has not been in the interview room with usually come to him freely later on, as he is advertised in the Arabic community as ‘the go to guy’ for citizenship applications and refugee status, whether he purports it or someone does it for him, for 500 euros he supposedly puts your application in front of someone that will ‘do the job’. Obviously I have never tried him, it is not my level, maybe I should have, I may have had more luck! Again, Abu Hasan and Basim are both Irish citizens, as are most of the Arabs that attend Abu Hasan’s Mosque. I’m sure that they don’t undervalue the Irish passport.

There have been many passport scandals in Ireland dating back to when Mr Haughey was in charge, Charles Haughey (ex Irish Prime Minister) was an open book, he made no secret of his ducking and diving. But even the Irish had enough when he sold passports to rich Arabs for 1,000,000 Irish pounds each. Since then passports have been sold to rich Russians, manufactured by entrepreneurial Nigerians and now ‘faked’ by assassins.

There seemed to be a difference between the passports used from Britain, France, Ireland, Germany and now Australia, but it seems that they were existing passports with the wrong photos everything else was perfect, as far as I can discern the passports were older technology, in the case of the Irish passports issued at the latest in 2004. In 2005 the holographic page with biometrics was introduced making it difficult to forge. How do I know this? Well as I said earlier, Irish wife and kids.

Having spent the best part of thirteen years in Ireland I used to (and still do) become frustrated at the people who attain Irish citizenship, I found it mind bending that these people who couldn’t speak English, didn’t work and claimed social welfare for the whole time they were in the country were being sent out letters saying “Congratulations, welcome, new Irish citizen” while I was being refused, without reason I may add. I used to think, ‘these people aren’t right for the country’ but now I know that it’s not them that is unsuitable for Ireland it is me, for I have seen enough now to admit that if it’s a million euros they want for it, or they are happy with forgers and frauds then I don’t want to be Irish. In a country that links itself to the famous and powerful like the woman that used to baby-sit the cousin of someone who’s famous, Mohammed Ali, Barack and Michelle Obama being the latest with Irish links, I think I’ll take my chances elsewhere.

Soon enough my movie The Devil’s Double will be in the cinemas and we’ll see who’s doing the running then.

Best regards,
Dr.Latif Yahia.

“This is a gangster movie, really,” says director Lee Tamahori

Currently shooting in Malta, The Devil’s Double tells the story of Saddam Hussein’s son Uday and his body-double Latif Yahia.

By: Leon Forde.
“This is a gangster movie, really,” says director Lee Tamahori, who wraps the film on April 10. “The story we’re telling is one of criminals operating with unbelievable amounts of money and grandeur and opulence and doing whatever the hell they like and getting away with it. And it’s also the story of an innocent, being thrust into it and forced – upon pain of death or the death of his entire family – to do something that he’d rather not do.”
Written by Michael Thomas (Backbeat) the action drama pulls no punches in its depiction of the brutality and debauchery that surrounded Uday, Saddam’s eldest son who was killed by US troops in 2003. “Even organised criminals have police that will chase them down. That wasn’t the case – this man could absolutely do whatever he wanted,” says Paul Breuls, producer of the film with Michael John Fedun, Catherine Vandeleene and Emjay Rechsteiner. Harris Tulchin is executive producer.
Power and corruption is central to the film, says Breuls. “All the rest – Saddam, his party and the war – it’s just a backdrop.”
Set in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the film stars Dominic Cooper as both Uday and his body-double. “He’s an unbelievably gifted actor,” Tamahori says of Cooper. “He’s just transformed himself into the son of Saddam Hussein – he looks hallucinatingly accurate.” The dual roles are a challenge, says Tamahori, but Cooper is “physically and mentally up for it, and he’s young and energetic.”
Ludivine Sagnier is playing Uday’s concubine in the film, based on the books by Yahia.
The $15m film is produced by Breuls’ Antwerp-based outfit Corsan. The company financed 50% of The Devil’s Double through its tax fund – set up under Belgium’s tax shelter system for corporate investors from the territory – with the remainder from Corsan and its equity partners. The Devil’s Double is the fifth film produced by Corsan under this model, with Roland Joffe’sSingularity set to shoot in India this summer. The company’s sales arm, Corsan World Sales, debuted The Devil’s Double at Berlin.
The production scouted locations in Jordan, Tunisia and Morocco before opting for Malta, which offers an incentive of up to 22% of eligible expenditure to be obtained as a cash rebate. “The Malta [incentive] is tried and trusted and solid, and it’s the EU and it’s Euro-driven and it’s very established,” Breuls explains. “And then you marry it to the fact Malta has a good infrastructure, that it has experienced crews.”

The Devil’s Double is largely using locations on the island, with a couple of weeks on stages built by the production in a rented warehouse. There will also be CG work to create the Baghdad palaces. Tamahori is shooting on the RED HD camera. “I’m very much a convert to new digital formats,” the director says. “I’ve shot commercials on the RED. I haven’t shot a feature on it but I like it a lot.”

NZ director tackles Iraqi tale

Yahoo!Xtra

Kiwi director Lee Tamahori is back at work in Malta on his latest movie.

The 'Once Were Warriors' helmsman is on location for new action drama, 'The Devil's Double'.

Starring 'Mamma Mia's Dominic Cooper and French star Ludivine Sagnier, the film is based on Latif Yahia’s biographical novel.

Cooper plays both Saddam Hussein’s son, Uday Hussein, and his body double Latif Yahia. Sagnier

plays Sarrab, Uday’s concubine and the secret lover of Latif.

Described as a ordinary man’s struggle in a world of power, deceit, betrayal, violence and seduction, hopes are high for the New Zealand director's latest effort.

When army lieutenant Latif Yahia is summoned from the frontline to Saddam’s palace, he is faced with an impossible request: to be Uday’s ‘fiday’ - his body double - or have his family condemned to death.

With his life on the line, his fate is decided. Latif begins his journey as Uday Hussein, one of Iraq’s most powerful and hated men. He learns to walk, talk and look like him - and he experiences the extravagance of Uday’s world with its fast cars, endless money and easy women.

No word yet on when the film is due out but with two hot young stars, there's plenty of buzz about it already.

Consistency the key for local film services industry

By: Patrick Cooke

Foreign film production companies may have slashed budgets last year in the wake of the global financial crisis, but Malta's film services industry is attracting a consistent flow of productions to the country for the first time in its history, according to Film Commissioner Luisa Bonello.

Despite a slow start to last year, Malta still attracted 14 foreign productions to its shores, compared with eight productions in 2008 and 10 in 2007.

"We only had a few quiet months in the early part of the year which broke the continuous spell of productions since 2007. This is the first time we have seen consistency in the industry," Ms Bonello said.

Last year's productions consisted of eight TV programmes, four feature films and two commercials. Production companies came from nine different countries including Italy, UK, Germany and Scandinavia.

In all, these productions are estimated to have spent €6.5 million directly on Maltese services, crew and goods, compared with an estimated €20.6 million in 2008 and €4.5 million in 2007.

Big budget Spanish production Agora, shot entirely in Malta, "distorted" the financial figures for 2008, but Ms Bonello thinks the fall in revenue should not distract from the fact that there were more productions filmed in Malta last year compared with 2008.

"Even though less money was spent, there were more productions, more work, more activity for the local sector, our crew improved and secured higher positions and general progress continues to be registered," she said.

She added that the key to developing a successful local film services industry was to ensure productions were in prep or shooting every day of the year.

"Hollywood's big-scale productions are a bonus, but they can never sustain us. Our aim is to attract the medium and small, budget films and TV productions, and I think they are developing into a steady niche," she said, adding productions from India, Japan and Russia contributing to the diversity of the flow of work.

"In these types of productions, local crews can take higher positions which will help them learn. More experienced crews available in Malta make us more appealing as a filming destination," she said.

Ms Bonello said she was unable to say with any certainty that there would be growth in terms of productions filmed in Malta or revenue generated by the local film services industry this year, but she expressed confidence that there would continue to be a consistent flow of productions.

The commission is in touch with several potential productions for this year, including returning clients. An Italian TV production is set to shoot next month, and currently shooting is The Devil's Double, based on the book of the same title by Latif Yahia, who was the double of Saddam Hussein's sadistic son Uday during the dictator's reign. Malta is doubling as Iraq in the nine-week shoot - which began on February 6 - but will also feature as Malta "in a scene or two".

"Doubling as Iraq is good because it's another country that we can say we have doubled as when trying to attract productions," Ms Bonello said.

India, which has the largest film industry in the world, is one market the Film Commission is targeting in the hope that Indian production companies will return regularly. Last year, song and dance sequences for the film Vinnai Thankdi Varuvaya (Will You Come from the Sky?) were shot in Malta over eight days. Ms Bonello met major production companies and studios as part of a trade delegation to India last November.

"We had very, very good feedback. They have a hunger for new locations. It's a very different style of film-making but one that can generate substantial amount of work for Malta and also promote its image to a huge home audience. It's about diversifying," she said.

When Malta introduced its audiovisual financial incentives scheme in 2007, in the form of a cash rebate given on eligible EU expenditure to qualifying production companies, it was only the third of its kind to be approved by the EU. The scheme has been extended to the end of 2012 and remains a crucial factor in attracting productions to Malta, but now almost every EU country offers similar incentives.

Although competition for attracting films is fierce, Ms Bonello believes Malta can continue to compete because of its strong combination of attractions. She cited the water tanks at the Mediterranean Film Studios, which are the largest in Europe, the backlots of Fort Ricasoli, the incentives scheme, Malta's capacity to double for almost anywhere in the Mediterranean, and the ability of local crew to speak English as being the main draws.

Malta's main shortfalls are the absence of huge soundstages and the lack of technical crew in high places, training schemes for local people and film-specific technical equipment, but Ms Bonello insists measures are being taken to address these issues.

Dominic Cooper, Ludivine Sagnier

see 'Double'

Belgian-backed film based on Saddam Hussein novel

By Stuart Kemp

LONDON -- Lee Tamahori's action drama "The Devil's Double" has enlisted Dominic Cooper and Ludivine Sagnier to star in the Belgium-backed production.

Cooper will play the dual roles of Saddam Hussein's son, Uday Hussein and Latif Yahia, his body double in the movie based on Latif Yahia's biographical novel of the same name. Sagnier plays Sarrab, Uday's concubine and secret lover to Latif.

Belgian production company Corsan is making the project from a screenplay penned by Michael Thomas. Produced by Paul Breuls, Michael John Fedun, Catherine Vandeleene and Emjay Rechsteiner, the project is exec produced by Harris Tulchin.

Tamahori has become a go-to action director after bursting on the scene in 1994 with his Maori tale "Once Were Warriors," and now boasts a resume which includes Bond outing "Die Another Day" and "XXX2: The State of the Union." The project, currently shooting in Malta, will be repped for international by Corsan World Sales at the upcoming European Film Market in Berlin.

'The Devil's Double' Starts Filming in Malta

Saddam Hussein inner circle drama is directed by Lee Tamahori and stars Dominic Cooper

By Wrap Staff
Principal photography has started on location in Malta on the action drama, "The Devil's Double." Directed by "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori, the look at Saddam Hussein's inner circle is being financed by the Belgian production company Corsan.

Dominic Cooper will portray the dual roles of ("Mama Mia!") Hussein’s son, Uday and Latif Yahia, his body double. Ludivine Sagnier ("Swimming Pool") will play Sarrab, Uday’s concubine and secret lover to Latif.

The screenplay, written by Michael Thomas, is based on Latif Yahia’s biographical novel,

Ludivine Sagnier joins Tamahori’s The Devil’s Double as shoot begins

Ludivine Sagnier and Latif Yahia

By Andreas Wiseman

Principal photography on Lee Tamahori’s The Devil’s Double has begun in Malta.

Belgian producers Corsan have confirmed that French actress Ludivine Sagnier has joined the cast of the thriller, which tells the true story of the body double for Saddam Hussein’s son Uday. Dominic Cooper also stars.

Corsan World Sales is selling international rights to the film and Paradigm Motion Picture Finance Group is representing domestic rights.

Cooper will play the dual roles of Saddam Hussein’s son, Uday Hussein and Latif Yahia, his body double and Sagnier will play Sarrab, Uday’s concubine and secret lover to Latif.

Paul Breuls, Michael John Fedun, Catherine Vandeleene and Emjay Rechsteiner are producing while Harris Tulchin is executive producer.

Michael Thomas adapted the screenplay from Yahia’s biographical novel of the same name.

The Belgian producers have assembled a strong production team including Centurion director of photography Sam McCurdy and costume designer Anna Sheppard, a two-time Oscar nominee. The nine week shoot is due to wrap on April 10.

Corsan is also currently in pre-production on Roland Joffe’s new feature, Singularity, which will shoot in India this summer.

My theory on Iraq and Iraqis.

Having viewed many videos of atrocities committed against Iraqi civilians before, during the invasion and until now, I have been caused to reflect on Iraq, the country and it’s people.

Why is it that Iraq has suffered so much under the hands of dictators, invaders and enemies. It would be too easy to say that the oil in Iraq was the reason, but I think we need to go back further.

Iraq is credited with being the cradle of civilization, the birthplace of Law, then why is it that this country is now the exact opposite of it’s once illuminated self?

I have a theory, Iraq throughout history has been fought over, the fertile land of the delta of the Euphrates and the Tigris rivers, the Garden of Eden, people have always wanted to posses it. Those people were usually warlords or heads of tribes, and here is the theory: Iraqis all share a specific genetic disposition, they all want power, it is an endless circle those without power want it, those with power use it.

In general Iraq has always been led by a ‘Ruler’, King, Dictator, Sheikh or Sultan, always one persons rule, so when a populace are then faced with democracy what do they do? They do what they always do, gather in their tribes and the head of each tribe fights to become the ‘Ruler’

Best regards,

Latif Yahia

Latif Yahia interviewed on BBC HARDtalk

The first part of what I consider to be the best interview that I have ever given in the past 19 years. I consider Stephen Sackur from BBC's HARDtalk to be one of the toughest interviewers ( hence the name of the show ). A challenge and a pleasure in equal amounts. 2/12/2009 London
http://www.latifyahia.com

Latif Yahia interviewed on BBC HARDtalk part 1

Latif Yahia interviewed on BBC HARDtalk part 2

Latif Yahia interviewed on BBC HARDtalk part 3

Hist freshers deal with terrorism

By: Darren Mooney & Daniel Costigan

The College Historical Society held its annual R’n’L debate on the controversial topic of political violence or terrorism on Wednesday April 4th. Organised exclusively by the Records and Libraries sub-committee, the debate was a roaring success.

This Junior Freshman-run debate was quite an interesting departure from the normal discussions that take place in the chamber during the year.

The vibrant and varied discussion of political violence during the debate was a fantastic reflection on the R’n’L. ’I’ve never seen anything like it,’ commented Hist Auditor James O’Brien. ’The energy and enthusiasm shown by the first-years is just amazing.’

The motion ’ ’One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter’ meant that the speakers didn’t address the House in the usual adversarial manner.

The debate quickly became an invitation for speakers to advance from the motion and tackle more broad and varied concepts. Ideas about the pejorative use of the word ’terrorist’, subjective Western value judgements and the need to come up with objective criteria by which to define a terrorist were discussed. The debate also challenged the audience to question the violent foundation of western democracies and further used varied and unique analogies comparing terrorism to beating someone to death in a night-club, or pondering if the photogenic nature of the victims is what makes us feel so disgusted at the concept. Is killing killing or is terrorism something beyond that’

The highlight of the night was former body double for Uday Hussein, Dr Latif Yahia, asserting that the so-called Democratic Nations didn’t have the principles they so strongly advocated. Dr Yahia alleged widespread corruption, hypocrisy and abuse within the West and challenged us to revise our views of ’terrorists’ as depicted through our news services. ’Two things make the Terrorist,’ he warned the audience: ’The politician ’ and the media.’ At the time of printing, Dr Yahia’s speech has been downloaded over 2500 times from the Hist’s website, www.thehist.com.

Students themselves grappled on whether it was possible to justify terrorism, or if they were simply ’psychopaths’ or ’impressionable idiots’. One student speaker assured the crowd that ’terrorism is not only justifiable, but it’s also effective’. Everyone had a different view and there were no two speeches alike on either side throughout the debate.

The debate was a melting pot of different ideas ’ with speakers disagreeing on what a terrorist was. There was even some discussion as to whether one of the guests, Deirdre Clancy, was a terrorist herself after her disabling of a military jet at Shannon in 2003. Or, as Village columnist Harry Browne suggested, was she a freedom fighter’

The massive variety in the guests and speeches make this debate the best R’n’L debate in a long time.