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The Reuters article cited by Dirk (dated 23rd January) stated that,
according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA):
'Palestinian Public Works Minister Azzam al-Ahmad had delivered a message to
Saddam from Arafat calling on the Iraqi leader "to intervene to stop the
savage and bloody Zionist (Israeli) aggression against the Palestinian
people".'
The second INA report cited by Dirk (dated the 23rd January, the first INA
report he cited was dated the 24th and therefore clearly could not have been
the source for the Reuters piece) stated that the message:
'included a request to intervene in the international community to halt the
savage, bloody Zionist aggression launched against the Palestinian people a
year and a half ago which is a flagrant defy [sic] to the Arab and Islamic
Nations.'
*If* the second INA report cited by Dirk *were* the source for the Reuters
piece, then it would be fair to claim that the omission of the words
'international community' created an ambiguity.
However, Dirk produces no evidence to support the claim that his INA report
*was* the source for the Reuters piece and, in fact, the evidence actually
suggests that it wasn't.
Thus the Reuters piece contains a direct quote which it attributes to the
INA ("the serious situation in the Palestinian occupied territories caused
by Zionist aggression and the blockade imposed by the Zionist authorities
against movement of Palestinian people and officials") which does not
appear anywhere in the text of the INA report cited by Dirk. It would
therefore be reasonable to conclude that this report is *not* the source for
the Reuters piece.
Western wire agencies often put out more than one version of a story, so it
could well be that the Reuters piece was based on a different INA report
with slightly different wording, possibly in Arabic.
To summarise, no evidence has yet been produced to support the
assertion that Reuters 'deliberately lied' in this instance or even that
they purveyed 'false
information.'
Best wishes,
Gabriel
(writing in a personal capacity).
-----Original Message-----
From: Dirk Adriaensens <dirk.adriaensens@skynet.be>
To: soc-casi-discuss@lists.cam.ac.uk <soc-casi-discuss@lists.cam.ac.uk>;
Daniel Grunberg <grunberg@science.uva.nl>
Date: 25 January 2002 11:46
Subject: Re: casi, INA
>Dear Daniel and CASI-members,
>I will print Ina's message dated 23 jan. It was published in Iraq Daily on
>24 jan. It is slightly different from the INA-article on 24th, but nowhere
>can one read that "Palestinian President Yasser Arafat on Wednesday urged
>Iraq's President Saddam Hussein to intervene to prevent Israeli
"aggression"
>against the Palestinian people."
>The original INA-article says: " The message also included a request to
>intervene in the international community to halt the savage, bloody Zionist
>aggression launched against the Palestinian people a year and a half ago
>which is a flagrant defy to the Arab and Islamic Nations. And to work for
>providing an international protection to the Palestinian people."
>.. to intervene in the international community. A big difference between
>Reuter's and Ina. The lie remains.And even more difficult to unmask.
>Thanks Daniel for the remark.
>Greetings all.
>Dirk Adriaensens.
>
>
>President receives Palestinian President's envoy
>Baghdad, Jan. 23, INA
>
>President Saddam Hussein on Wednesday received the Palestinian President's
>envoy, Palestinian Minister of General Labor Azzam al-Ahmed.
>
>Al-Ahmed, who also acts as Palestinian ambassador to Baghdad, conveyed a
>message from President Yasser Arafat concerning the dangerous situations in
>the Occupied Territories due to the continuous brutal Zionist aggression
>against the Palestinian people and Moslems and Christians holy sites.
>
>The message also touched upon the crippling siege imposed by the Zionist
>authorities on the movement of the people and officials in the Palestinian
>Authority in which the Zionists used all sorts of weapons, including the
>internationally-banned ones, to achieve their goals.
>
>The message also included a request to intervene in the international
>community to halt the savage, bloody Zionist aggression launched against
the
>Palestinian people a year and a half ago which is a flagrant defy to the
>Arab and Islamic Nations. And to work for providing an international
>protection to the Palestinian people.
>
>The Palestinian Minister conveyed President Arafat's greetings and salutes
>to President Hussein and his wishes the people of Iraq for further progress
>and prosperity.
>
>"The speeches and addresses of support and solidarity issued by His
>Excellency President Hussein on each occasion, more on each day, reach us
in
>Palestine continuously and they give us additional morale," al-Ahmed said.
>Lauding the big support presented by His Excellency to the sons of
>Palestine, especially the patronage presented by His Excellency to the
>families of martyrs and injured and sharing the bread among Iraqis and
>Palestinians.
>
>Welcoming Iraq's guest and inquiring about President Arafat's health and
the
>morale of the struggling Palestinian people President Hussein said, "Some
of
>the Western governments are standing with Israel as if they represent one
>case. The other part are subject to the influence of Zionist media which
>pressurizes the figures and interests created by the Zionists inside their
>nations through the capitals they grip. Yet, I believe that the Zionist
>entity feels defeated, and the Westerns will reach a final result that this
>entity is refused, has no future and its destiny is on hell-hole despite
the
>well-known Western procrastination because they were who created the
Zionist
>entity and used it against the others."
>
>"The Arab people has the ability to the level that makes Arabs and the
>humanity proud. What took place in Iraq, the Palestinian resistance and
>South Lebanon when the enemy was forced to pull out unconditionally are
>enough to predict us that the elements of ability are great in the Nation.
>All we have is to activate ourselves, for the people is ready to abide
>chivalry with its principles," President Hussein added.
>
>"Convey my salutes to Abu Ammar (President Arafat) and all strugglers, men
>and women. Tell him that we feel proud of the Palestinian people's stand
and
>its confrontation to the Zionist entity, and we are happy that the people's
>steadfastness has become understandable for Arabs," President Hussein told
>the guest.
>
>The President confirmed Iraq's stand with the people of Palestine, its
>leadership and with President Yasser Arafat personally as a leader and a
>symbol of the Palestinian people.
>
>President Hussein stressed that Iraq will continue its move despite its
hard
>conditions to provide all elements of Arab backing and force to the people
>of Palestine and its leadership, in addition to offering backing to
>consolidate the Palestinian people's steadfastness in facing up to the
>savage Zionist aggressions.
>
>The President asked the guest to ensure Abu Ammar about Iraq's situation
and
>informing him that the Iraqi people's readiness in now higher than before
>and it is adherent to its principles, but what preoccupies Iraq now is the
>Palestinian issue which will be restored to its people, God's Willing.
>
>President Hussein also asked the guest to convey his greetings and salutes
>to each Palestinian.
>
>Present at the audience was Foreign Minister Naji Sabr.
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Daniel Grunberg" <grunberg@science.uva.nl>
>To: "Dirk Adriaensens" <dirk.adriaensens@skynet.be>
>Sent: Friday, January 25, 2002 12:10 PM
>Subject: casi, INA
>
>
>>
>> dear dirk,
>>
>> thanks for keeping a watchful eye on the media.
>> the INA report you forwarded is dated jan 24 and cannot have been the
>> source of Reuter's release.
>> but pls keep us informed whenever you notice abuses.
>> thanks in advance and regards,
>> daniel
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
--
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