From Iraq to Luxembourg- a diplomat's life

After two years spent as an HM Consul General in Basra, most diplomats would see a posting to Luxembourg as a holiday. Not, Alice Walpole. Here, the mother-of-six describes the challenges ahead while shedding light on the unseen side of Iraq.

You arrived in Luxembourg in July and were accredited on September 15. Describe your first two months in Luxembourg.

A lot of people said to me, after Iraq, won't you find Luxembourg a bit quiet. But if you look in my diary it's pretty busy. There are all sorts of things going on.

I had been here a couple of months in advance in a non-official capacity. It gave me a chance to settle with my family in a relatively less busy part of the year. Like everybody else, since the rentrée it's become much busier.

Last Thursday I went to the 100th anniversary of steel production in Luxembourg and then travelled to see the Grand Duke in my dress, hat and gloves. They picked me up in a police convoy of riders.

What are your hopes and expectations for the role in Luxembourg? What challenges do you envisage?

When I met the Grand Duke, I found that he was extremely well informed about the UK. We're very lucky because it makes your life easier if you're an ambassador in a country where there are already strong ties with your country. In some ways there's a challenge because you're thinking these are long-standing relationships and ties, what value am I bringing to it?

Most people wanting to go to the UK from Luxembourg will just go for it. The challenge for us is to see what value we can add and what we can do to help the relationship.

Your last posting was as HM Consul General and Head of Post to Basra, in Iraq. Describe the kind of work you were doing there.

In Iraq my job was to lead the follow-on mission to the UK military engagement. I arrived just as the military left. My job was to maintain Britain's profile and build on the activities that the military had been involved in for the future.

A large part of that involved kick-starting the economy in southern Iraq which is in the oil sector. I was looking at ways to help Iraqis exploit the oil resources. I was lucky because British oil firms are world leaders. So I was encouraging Iraqis to engage with British business.

I travelled around a lot, met tribal leaders, religious leaders and went to areas where schools and hospitals were being built.

What surprised you most about your last posting?

Iraqis have very high expectations about the British. We've been in their country for more than 150 years. When I first got there I was thinking maybe I'm going to be carrying the burden surrounding the British military engagement from the last few years. I turned up and in fact what I was carrying was the burden of the last 150 years of British engagement.

I found that there was this fantastic affection for the UK. I was surprised. I expected ambivalence about the role we had played. Having liberated them, their country descended into civil war. But so many times there was this extraordinary welcome that we got.

What changes did you observe during your time in Basra?

I was there for two years. When I arrived the international business community had hardly penetrated southern Iraq. The first companies were coming to drill. Then came the other services- security firms, firms to build camps. By the time I left the international community had gone from no personnel in southern Iraq to a couple of thousand.

One of the last things that happened was when I went to say my farewells to the governor of Basra province. I met two labourers who were organising a demonstration about the lack of electricity. They had come to get a permit to hold the demonstration. Iraq had gone from a country in civil war to the kind of organised society that firstly allows people to hold a demo and secondly allows them to issue permits for it. It seemed to be an extraordinary step forward in terms of democratic development.

Describe the moment you felt most in danger during your stay.

If you're going to set up a business in Iraq you want to be prepared on the security front. Even in relatively stable countries in that region, people take security precautions. Going to do business in Iraq is not like doing business in Zurich.

I had security teams. But I travelled all over southern Iraq with British government ministers and senior politicians. The time I felt most threatened was when I went to a trade fair and sat at the VIP table with a Turkish actor from a popular soap opera. It was the equivalent of sitting with a cast member from Eastenders. We were mobbed by 400 desperate Iraqi fans. One of my security team just picked me up and lifted me out of this mêlé of people.

That was probably the most vulnerable I ever felt there. I didn't feel threatened otherwise. I think that people wanted to put the past behind them. They were ready to move on.

What was your and your family's reaction to you coming to Luxembourg?

You do a job, and you give it your all. It comes to an end and you start the next thing. As soon as I knew that I was coming to Luxembourg I started focusing on that. Obviously, the challenges are very different but there are all sorts of interesting challenges here. I don't think I'm going to get bored. It was definitely a relief for my children.

You have six children. Tell us about your family life.

My children were at school in the UK while I was in Basra and it makes no sense to move them at this stage. Up until Basra they had always been at postings with me. They came to the US, Belgium and Tanzania.

They spent the summer here and really enjoyed it. I'm interested in getting them to come out and visit me as they are old enough to do that. One daughter is at Oxford, another at the Science Po in Paris, and the other four are at school in the UK.

So, what's the secret of being a successful career woman and raising a balanced family of six?

If I knew that I would bottle it and sell it!

I think that it's two things. It's doing several things at the same time. I can't remember the last time I watched television and wasn't ironing or checking homework at the same time.

It's also about making things work for you. I've said this before to other people that when I arrived in our mission to the UN in New York, there was a big mission half of which were female. But I was the only mother. I think they thought it wasn't an appropriate place for children. But you have to make it work for you.

What are your goals and hopes for your time in Luxembourg?

I think that when you first arrive somewhere it's a good idea to have some idea of what you want to achieve. I also think it's very important you stay flexible.

I really discovered this in Iraq and it's important to remain receptive to things which come up. We've got a number of things coming up such as the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the 2012 Olympics. It will be interesting to see if we can share these big events with the Luxembourg residents.

I'm always interested in the trade front. I would like to encourage more British companies to engage here in Luxembourg. And I would also like Luxembourgish companies and international companies to take the opportunity to invest in the UK.

Overall, I look forward to getting to know Luxembourg really well. I want to get out and about and see a bit more of the country. I'm always suspicious of diplomats who stay in the capital. But, there's no excuse in a country this size.