The complete Salam Pax interview

The Buzz Machine translate an Austrian interview with the Baghdad blogger.

: Format: Your Internet diary from Baghdad made you tremendously popular in the West. When your website suddenly became inaccessible, many feared for the life of "Salam Pax." Now that the war is over, how's it going for you?
: Salam Pax: It goes well. Recently, I've been working for an NGO called the Campaign for Innocent Civilian Victims (CICV). Sometimes my friend Raed and I translate for journalists. But mostly I don't do much. I often simply wander through town, open my eyes, and watch the unbelievable things that happen in Baghdad today.

: Format: For sometime your diary was regarded as a fake. Shortly before the war began, there were rumors that -- depending on the version -- you alternately worked for the CIA or for the Iraqi secret service...
: Salam Pax: Well, clearly, that's all correct... No, honestly: It was all dangerous and I simply had good luck. I knew of other Iraqi Internet diaries that were blocked on the net. It was my good luck that in Iraq, no one in the regime or elsewhere seemed to care very much, which surprised me. On the other hand, there are not many Iraqis who have access to the Internet... In addition, I wrote in English. If I had written in Arabic, it probably would have been easier to find out who I am.

and more.