Iraqi Official Snubs Israeli Journalist

AP via ABCNews.com ^ | 02/14/2003

[GeneD]

Touching off hoots and boos, a top Iraqi official snubbed an Israeli journalist Friday, refusing to answer the correspondent's question about whether Baghdad might attack Israel in a case of a U.S. military strike on Iraq.

Correspondent Menachem Gantz, based in Rome for the Israeli newspaper Maariv, asked Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz at a news conference in the Italian capital: "Are you considering any kind of attack as a possibility against Israel in case of an American attack?"

Aziz, invited by the Foreign Press Association to give the news conference, responded: "When I came to this press conference it was not in my agenda to answer questions by the Israeli media. Sorry."

Some journalists in the packed room of the association's headquarters whistled and booed at that reply.

The association's president, Eric Jozsef, a French journalist, urged Aziz to respond.

"No, I'm not going to answer," the Iraqi official said.

The room was packed with about 100 journalists, with scores of others listening from another room. About 20 of the journalists, including Israeli and German correspondents, walked out, Gantz among them.

Later at the news conference, another journalist asked the same question and Aziz replied: "We don't have the means to attack anyone outside our territory."

Aziz, who met with Pope John Paul II at the Vatican earlier in the day, was in Italy for several days of talks, including with Italian politicians.

"I thought a sentence in an Israeli newspaper might be a slight proof that his intentions are peaceful, as his visit is trying to transmit," Gantz later told The Associated Press.

"His way of reacting, in a very nervous way, showed that the values of democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of press and other human rights are far away from the dictatorship in Baghdad," Gantz said.

The Israeli journalist said he had been in touch with members of the Iraqi delegation earlier in the week about the possibility of posing a couple of questions and that delegation members left him with the impression that Aziz would answer.

[Clara Lou]

Tariq, I spit on your camel.

[O.C. - Old Cracker]

What a shocker! The thinly veiled, anti-Semitism/anti-Zionism comes shining through in this example of open contempt by a prominent Arab leader.

Do you think this will be reported by the mainstream press, or on the Today show? If, on the other hand, Sharon or Netanyahu had done the same thing while in Rome, this story would have been everywhere.

[RoseofTexas]

What I'd like to know is, DID this little love feast by the Iraqi noble, we've had a change of heart noted by Blix this morn, make it on PRIME TIME?? I bet you a million bucks this little incident never made it ABC, NBC, CBS, and the rest of the cable news outlets, with the exception of FOX!

[dis.kevin]

I saw this on the NBC news this evening. It just shows what animals they are.

[John H K]

It made it on the CBS Nightly News with Dan Rather.

I nominate the French and German journalists who walked out for "Honorary Non-French or German" awards.

[OldFriend]

Unfortunate to think that the Israeli would have to ask the Iraqi's for permission to ask a question.

[dis.kevin]

I saw this on the NBC news this evening. It just shows what animals they are.

[jwalsh07]

I hope Pope John Paul 2 was tuned in.

[Catspaw]

On NBC and CBS--I wonder (although I didn't watch) if this made ABC.

It was a shocker when I saw it live and I give credit to all those who walked out.

[RoseofTexas]

WELL I'll be dang!! NBC and CBS showed? WOWWOWOOOWZERS hell is freezing over as we type! What type of comments were made by the reporters reporting this? We they outraged, or did they just showed the little a snip of a clip without commentary?

[aristeides]

I suspect Aziz was afraid of Saddam's reaction if he answered the question.

[RoseofTexas]

OOpps me goofed! We=Were

[Catspaw]

I missed watching any of the network news stories on this--but hell is definitely freezing over if NBC and CBS (per other posters) saw this story. That it wouldn't get on ABC is no surprise, no surprise at all.

I can't wait to see what the New York Post does with this tomorrow (in another life, I want to be their headline writer).

[jess35]

And to think he's the only Christian in Hussein's cabinet. Tsk, tsk...

[CyberAnt]

Well ... I think a non-answer says more than Aziz expected.

[CyberAnt]

So far, I have only seen this news on FOX

[Beldar]

So, has the video shown up on the net anywhere? Inquiring minds want to view.

[Just mythoughts]

Why is the Pope meeting with this guy? Has he been cleansed and now will the Pope come out against freeing the people of Iraq?

I am not Catholic, so I don't understand the purpose of meeting with one of Saddams boys.

[not-alone]

Greta just said Iraq has kicked out 4 FOX journalist