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ARMENIAN DAILY ACCUSES US EMBASSY OF MEDDLING IN TV COVERAGE
Hayots Ashkharh, Yerevan,
27 Feb 07
Text of unattributed report by Armenian newspaper Hayots Ashkharh on
27 February headlined "What will the US embassy dictate tomorrow?"
It became known yesterday that the US embassy was rather unnerved by
the fact that the news conference of the founder of the Heritage Party,
Raffi Hovhannisyan, at the Urbat Press Club was not sufficiently
covered by TV, as they believe. Moreover, the embassy phoned TV
companies and demanded explanations in this regard.
Perhaps the given situation can seem disrespectful towards commonsense
to some people. After all, it is up to a TV company to decide how
to cover a particular event and whether to broadcast it at all. But
this is not the first case, is it? US embassies all over the world
constantly show disrespect for commonsense. They consider it quite
possible to interfere in the internal affairs of both foreign countries
and private companies, to dictate TV companies whom to show, how much
to show and how to show.
What will the US embassy in Armenia decide to dictate tomorrow? Who
is allowed to participate in an election, and who is not. Who has
won and who has lost.
Lately, we had to remind the US embassy in Armenia on another occasion
of Article 41 of the Vienna Convention. It says all people having
personal and diplomatic immunity must "respect the laws and regulations
of the host country and not interfere in its internal affairs".
If the host country considers the interference in its internal affairs
to be too persistent, it usually declares the interfere persona non
grata even without explaining the reasons (in accordance with Article
9 of the Vienna Convention) or explaining it by activity incompatible
with a diplomatic post.
The principles "we will do as we like" and "we will dictate to whoever
we like" are applicable to some extent to the internal affairs
of one's own country but are absolutely inapplicable to foreign
affairs. However, it is quite difficult to imagine a situation when
someone in the United States dares to phone a TV company and demand
explanation as to why the address of a particular politician was not
sufficiently covered. And it is quite easy to imagine where exactly
the US TV company will send the person who phoned.
Hayots Ashkharh, Yerevan,
27 Feb 07
Text of unattributed report by Armenian newspaper Hayots Ashkharh on
27 February headlined "What will the US embassy dictate tomorrow?"
It became known yesterday that the US embassy was rather unnerved by
the fact that the news conference of the founder of the Heritage Party,
Raffi Hovhannisyan, at the Urbat Press Club was not sufficiently
covered by TV, as they believe. Moreover, the embassy phoned TV
companies and demanded explanations in this regard.
Perhaps the given situation can seem disrespectful towards commonsense
to some people. After all, it is up to a TV company to decide how
to cover a particular event and whether to broadcast it at all. But
this is not the first case, is it? US embassies all over the world
constantly show disrespect for commonsense. They consider it quite
possible to interfere in the internal affairs of both foreign countries
and private companies, to dictate TV companies whom to show, how much
to show and how to show.
What will the US embassy in Armenia decide to dictate tomorrow? Who
is allowed to participate in an election, and who is not. Who has
won and who has lost.
Lately, we had to remind the US embassy in Armenia on another occasion
of Article 41 of the Vienna Convention. It says all people having
personal and diplomatic immunity must "respect the laws and regulations
of the host country and not interfere in its internal affairs".
If the host country considers the interference in its internal affairs
to be too persistent, it usually declares the interfere persona non
grata even without explaining the reasons (in accordance with Article
9 of the Vienna Convention) or explaining it by activity incompatible
with a diplomatic post.
The principles "we will do as we like" and "we will dictate to whoever
we like" are applicable to some extent to the internal affairs
of one's own country but are absolutely inapplicable to foreign
affairs. However, it is quite difficult to imagine a situation when
someone in the United States dares to phone a TV company and demand
explanation as to why the address of a particular politician was not
sufficiently covered. And it is quite easy to imagine where exactly
the US TV company will send the person who phoned.