Home > Programs
> Democracy
Now! > Wed., June. 8, 2005
Democracy Now!
ATTN: ALL STATIONS
From: Democracy Now!
Re: Rundown 6-8-05
PRSS Channel: A67.7
Salih Booker on Africa Debt: The Poorest Regions in the World
Have Subsidized the Richest
French Journalist Describes Mistreatment by U.S. Forces During
Siege of Fallujah
French Reporter Kidnapped by Iraqi Resistance For 4 Months
Says Bush Brought Al Qaeda to Iraq
Salih Booker on Africa Debt: The Poorest Regions
in the World Have Subsidized the Richest
President Bush refused to meet British Prime Minister Tony
Blair's request to double aid to African nations. Instead,
the two leaders announced a U.S. aid package of $674 million
dollars from funds previously appropriated by Congress. We
speak with Salih Booker of Africa Action. [includes rush
transcript]
President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair met
in Washington Tuesday for the first time since the release
of the so-called "Downing Street Memo." The memo
is actually the text to the minutes of secret meeting in 2002
between Blair and his senior national security team. It reveals
how the former director of the British intelligence agency,
MI6, told Blair that the U.S. had already made plans to attack
Iraq as early as July 2002.
While the memo has seen relatively little attention from
the corporate media, calls for a full investigation have gained
momentum in Congress. Bush and Blair were asked about the
memo at a joint news conference yesterday in Washington.
- President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair,
Washington DC, June 7, 2005.
The focus of Bush and Blair's public appearance was on aid
to African nations in advance of the Group of 8 summit in
Scotland next month. Bush announced that both countries are
developing a proposal for the G-8 that will eliminate 100
percent of that debt but neither leader gave any details on
the proposal. And as Chair of the G8, Blair has promised to
focus on fighting poverty in Africa and addressing global
climate change. But Blair's appeal to Bush to double U.S.
assistance to Africa fell on deaf ears. Instead, at yesterday's
press conference, the two leaders announced a U.S. aid package
of $674 million dollars. The money will be drawn from funds
previously appropriated by Congress. The White House said
this was in addition to the 1.4 billion dollars the United
States has already pledged to contribute to the United Nations"
Africa fund. At yesterday's news conference, Bush insisted
that the U.S is in fact increasing aid to Africa by threefold.
- President Bush, Washington DC, June 7, 2005.
According to The New York Times, most Americans believe that
the United States spends 24 percent of its budget on aid to
poor countries, it actually spends well under a quarter of
1 percent. In an editorial today titled "Crumbs for Africa,"
the Times writes "At a time when rich countries are mounting
a noble and worthy effort to make poverty history, the Bush
administration is showing itself to be completely out of touch
by offering such a miserly drop in the bucket."
French Journalist Describes Mistreatment by U.S.
Forces During Siege of Fallujah
French TV journalist Grégoire Deniau describes his
ordeal in U.S. custody in Iraq. He was detained for a day
during the siege of Fallujah in April 2004. He says despite
showing his passport and French press ID, U.S. soldiers forced
him to kneel for hours, gaffer-taped a hood over his face
and hurled insults at him, calling him a dog and accused him,
as a Frenchmen, of being pro-Arab. Deniau says he was released
late at night, in the middle of the desert and was warned
by the soldiers that US forces shoot everything that moves.
It has been more than 2 years since the Bush administration
began the invasion and occupation of Iraq. These have been
some of the bloodiest years for journalists worldwide and
in Iraq in particular. And the situation remains very dangerous
for media workers operating in the country, particularly those
few who dare to report from Iraq unembedded from the occupation
forces. Today, two French journalists speak about their time
in captivity in Iraq. I met them this weekend in Riccione,
Italy where I was attending the annual conference remembering
Ilaria Alpi--a young Italian woman journalist who was killed
in 1994 covering Somalia. One of the French journalists I
met, Christian Chesnot, was kidnapped for four months by the
Iraqi resistance. We'll hear his story in a moment.
But first, we turn to one of France's most experienced war
correspondents, Grégoire Deniau, of France 2. He too
was detained - for a day - by the US military. His ordeal
in US custody begins in April 2004 in the besieged city of
Fallujah. US forces picked Grégoire Deniau up in Fallujah
where he and a photographer colleague were documenting the
story of the siege of the city from the inside. At the time,
he was the only Western journalist there. Deniau says he and
the photographer were taken by US soldiers along with two
Red Crescent workers.
He says that US soldiers forced them to kneel for hours,
gaffer-taped hoods over their faces. Deniau says he showed
the soldiers his passport, his ID and his French Press Identification.
He says the soldiers hurled insults at him, called him a dog
and accused him, as a Frenchmen, of being pro-Arab. When the
US forces finally released them, they did so late at night,
in the middle of the desert and warned them that US forces
shoot everything that moves. This is French TV journalist
Grégoire Deniau.
- Grégoire Deniau, French journalist with France
2.
French Reporter Kidnapped by Iraqi Resistance For
4 Months Says Bush Brought Al Qaeda to Iraq
We speak with French reporter Christian Chesnot of Radio
France who was kidnapped - along with reporter Georges Malbrunot
of the Daily Figaro - by the Iraqi resistance. They were held
for four months, from August to December 21st 2004. [includes
rush
transcript]
Iraq is the most dangerous place in the world to be a journalist
today. At least 22 journalists were kidnapped by rebel forces
in 2004. Two of them were Christian Chesnot, a reporter for
Radio France, and Georges Malbrunot from the daily Le Figaro.
The two men were captured along with their translator, Mohammed
Al Jundi, in August of 2004 and released four months later
on December 21. They were held in five different locations
in Iraq and often feared for their lives. Their kidnappers
announced an ultimatum calling for the French government to
repeal the law forbidding girls from wearing the Muslim head
scarf at school. When Chesnot and Malbrunot were finally turned
over to French Intelligence, the Islamic Army of Iraq said
they decided to release the reporters because they saw France
as their ally in opposing the occupation.
The same group kidnapped and executed Italian freelance journalist
Enzo Baldoni after Italy refused to withdraw its 3,000 troops
from Iraq. I spoke with Christian Chesnot in Italy last weekend.
He attended the Conference to talk about the case of French
journalist Florence Aubenas who was kidnapped with her translator
and is still being held after five months of captivity.
- Christian Chesnot, French journalist with Radio France.
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
|
Listen
to the show
Help
whole
show
