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--------- Begin forwarded message ---------- From: Guardian Unlimited <thewrap-list@guardianunlimited.co.uk> To: Guardian Unlimited <thewrap-list@guardianunlimited.co.uk> Subject: The Wrap: BBC goes on offensive Date: Mon, 7 Jul 2003 08:58:04 +0000 (UTC) Message-ID: <20030707085804.E7AB7464@herring.gul3.gnl> The Wrap: BBC goes on offensive George Wright 07 July 2003 [...] >>> NO APOLOGY FROM BBC With a Commons report on the intelligence background to the Iraq war due out today, neither the BBC nor Alistair Campbell appears be giving ground in their battle over a so-called "dodgy dossier" containing claims that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. The BBC board of governors, after a two-and-a-half hour emergency meeting yesterday, has gone on the offensive calling on Mr Campbell to withdraw claims that the corporation unfairly accused the government of "sexing up" the case for war. Its statement endorsing its war coverage is "about as far from an apology as it's possible to get", says a governor quoted on the front page of the FT, and it sets the BBC on a "collision course" with Mr Campbell according to the Independent. As the row escalates, the Daily Mail - not normally a staunch defender of the Beeb - condemns as "despicable" a "thinly disguised threat that the BBC's royal charter could be at risk unless it climbs down and apologises". In its editorial, the paper goes on to remind Tony Blair and his ministers that the BBC will be here "long after this bunch of pygmy politicians have left the stage". In a Guardian interview, Robin Cook, former leader of the Commons, makes what the paper calls a "withering attack" on Mr Campbell for using the row with the BBC as a "red herring" to distract attention from proper scrutiny of whether or not there was any evidence of WMDs. *Governors back BBC in row over Iraq dossier http://politics.guardian.co.uk/iraq/story/0,12956,992999,00.html *Blair dispute with BBC set to escalate http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1054966699259&p=1012571727085 [...] Guardian Unlimited copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited 2003. Registered in England and Wales. No. 908396. Registered office: 164 Deansgate, Manchester M60 2RR --------- End forwarded message ---------- ________________________________________________________________ The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today! _______________________________________________ Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk