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Iraqi Foreign Ministry accuses AKnews of "fabricating issues” and warns of "consequences" over Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir story
14/03/2012 15:57
ERBIL, March 14 (AKnews) - Iraq's Foreign Ministry accused the Iraqi and Kurdistan news agency AKnews of "fabricating [the] issue" after publishing a story yesterday about the possible arrest by the international police of the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir if he attends the Arab summit in Baghdad on March 29.
The ministry warned AKnews, which publishes news from Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region of Iraq, of the consequences of continuing with what the ministry described as "method[s] far from the honest Press Secretariat, and adoption of false and fabricated news to stir up confusion".
The ministry said this was not the first time AKnews had fabricated reports assigned to sources it described as "delusional".
The head of the Kurdistan news agency said: "The news agency has documented all of their sources, and is surprised by the Iraqi Foreign Ministry to use these terms to an Iraqi agency respected and well known in Iraq and the Middle East."
He pointed out that "the agency does not refer at times to... the names of the sources due to the sensitivity of the news".
He stressed that this is common practice in the media and is covered by domestic and international law.
The statement from the ministry reads:
AKnews agency "published yesterday claiming that the fabricated story issued by an [anonymous] official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that Interpol has been told by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to arrest the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir if he [attends] the Arab summit.
"The ministry emphasizes in this regard that this news is not accurate and [is] untrue, there was no further communication from Interpol [and] the protection of President al-Bashir is guaranteed one hundred percent like all guests of Iraq in the conference.
"The ministry emphasizes that the publication of AKnews was not the first time that [it] published news and [quoted a false] source of [the] foreign affairs, a work not worthy of the press... we are surprised by the motives behind the publishing of the lies and fabrications.
"We would like to emphasize again that the news and press releases are issued only by the minister or agents or the official departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and authorized exclusively by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
We warn the agency (AKnews) of the consequences of continuing in this way is far from the honest Secretariat of press releases and adoption of false news and fabricated to stir up confusion and skepticism, distortion of the efforts of the Iraqi government and the State Department in particular to complete the preparations for the Arab summit [to be] held successfully."
The report AKnews published yesterday quoted an official source as saying that the State Department International Police (Interpol) may act to arrest Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir if he attends the Arab summit in the capital Baghdad on March 29.
The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Bashir two years ago on charges of committing genocide in Darfur.
The court, the first permanent international tribunal for war crimes, does not have its own police force and relies on the cooperation of states in the implementation of warrants, along with the international police.
The source told AKnews that: "We were formally informed by the Interpol about its will to arrest the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir if he arrives in Baghdad to attend the Arab summit.
"If Bashir was arrested in Baghdad, then this [would] put Iraq in a great embarrassment in front of the Arab countries and [would] affect the Iraqi-Arab relations, and if Iraq didn't allow the Interpol to arrest him, then its international reputation [would] be affected," the source added.
Sudan announced previously its participation in the Baghdad summit, but it did not say that Bashir will represent the country, according to the adviser to the Sudanese Ministry of Information, Rabih Abdul Ati.
According to United Nations figures, about 300,000 people died in the Darfur conflict.
"According to Interpol and the agreements concluded by Iraq, it has the right to implement the arrest warrants issued by the international courts in Iraq," the source said.
The Baghdad summit will be preceded two days by the meeting of Arab economic ministers and one day by the meeting of Arab foreign ministers.
DM/AKnews
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14/03/2012 15:57
ERBIL, March 14 (AKnews) - Iraq's Foreign Ministry accused the Iraqi and Kurdistan news agency AKnews of "fabricating [the] issue" after publishing a story yesterday about the possible arrest by the international police of the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir if he attends the Arab summit in Baghdad on March 29.
The ministry warned AKnews, which publishes news from Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region of Iraq, of the consequences of continuing with what the ministry described as "method[s] far from the honest Press Secretariat, and adoption of false and fabricated news to stir up confusion".
The ministry said this was not the first time AKnews had fabricated reports assigned to sources it described as "delusional".
The head of the Kurdistan news agency said: "The news agency has documented all of their sources, and is surprised by the Iraqi Foreign Ministry to use these terms to an Iraqi agency respected and well known in Iraq and the Middle East."
He pointed out that "the agency does not refer at times to... the names of the sources due to the sensitivity of the news".
He stressed that this is common practice in the media and is covered by domestic and international law.
The statement from the ministry reads:
AKnews agency "published yesterday claiming that the fabricated story issued by an [anonymous] official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that Interpol has been told by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to arrest the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir if he [attends] the Arab summit.
"The ministry emphasizes in this regard that this news is not accurate and [is] untrue, there was no further communication from Interpol [and] the protection of President al-Bashir is guaranteed one hundred percent like all guests of Iraq in the conference.
"The ministry emphasizes that the publication of AKnews was not the first time that [it] published news and [quoted a false] source of [the] foreign affairs, a work not worthy of the press... we are surprised by the motives behind the publishing of the lies and fabrications.
"We would like to emphasize again that the news and press releases are issued only by the minister or agents or the official departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and authorized exclusively by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
We warn the agency (AKnews) of the consequences of continuing in this way is far from the honest Secretariat of press releases and adoption of false news and fabricated to stir up confusion and skepticism, distortion of the efforts of the Iraqi government and the State Department in particular to complete the preparations for the Arab summit [to be] held successfully."
The report AKnews published yesterday quoted an official source as saying that the State Department International Police (Interpol) may act to arrest Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir if he attends the Arab summit in the capital Baghdad on March 29.
The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Bashir two years ago on charges of committing genocide in Darfur.
The court, the first permanent international tribunal for war crimes, does not have its own police force and relies on the cooperation of states in the implementation of warrants, along with the international police.
The source told AKnews that: "We were formally informed by the Interpol about its will to arrest the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir if he arrives in Baghdad to attend the Arab summit.
"If Bashir was arrested in Baghdad, then this [would] put Iraq in a great embarrassment in front of the Arab countries and [would] affect the Iraqi-Arab relations, and if Iraq didn't allow the Interpol to arrest him, then its international reputation [would] be affected," the source added.
Sudan announced previously its participation in the Baghdad summit, but it did not say that Bashir will represent the country, according to the adviser to the Sudanese Ministry of Information, Rabih Abdul Ati.
According to United Nations figures, about 300,000 people died in the Darfur conflict.
"According to Interpol and the agreements concluded by Iraq, it has the right to implement the arrest warrants issued by the international courts in Iraq," the source said.
The Baghdad summit will be preceded two days by the meeting of Arab economic ministers and one day by the meeting of Arab foreign ministers.
DM/AKnews
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