US administration cannot influence media policies, and the decision to broadcast the interview with Basayev was ABC's constitutional right. This statement was made by the US State Department's official spokesman Sean McCormack.
The problem arose after the American TV channel ABC News, in spite of the protests made by the Russian Foreign Ministry, aired last Thursday an interview with Chechen terrorist Shamil Basayev given to Radio Freedom's correspondent Andrei Babitski.
"American TV companies broadcast fragments of statements made by Usama bin Laden, Aiman Zavakhiri and others. Right after September 11 we requested TV companies to consider that those statements may contain messages or other kinds of information for other terrorist cells, but at that time we clearly stated that the decision on what they will broadcast remains exclusively with the TV companies and the media themselves", stressed S. McCormack.
"Broadcasting an interview is a constitutional right of any US medium, and we have no part in making a decision on the showing of an interview", said the State Department's spokesman.
"In out view, leader of the Chechen insurgents Shamil Basayev is a terrorist who took the responsibility for the seizure of the school in Beslan last year and the seizure of the Theater on Dubrobka in Moscow in October 2002, as well as for other acts of terror which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people", said S. McCormack. He reminded that "in August 2003 Basayev was recognized as a threat to the security and the people of the United States".
"We resolutely condemn any acts of terror, and, as we have said earlier in particular concerning Chechnya, no purpose may justify the actions causing deaths or the risk of death of innocent civilians", said the State Department's spokesman.
"The US Government had no part in ABC's decision to broadcast the interview. The US Government is not authorized to forbid ABC to use its constitutional right to show an interview", emphasized S. McCormack.
The problem arose after the American TV channel ABC News, in spite of the protests made by the Russian Foreign Ministry, aired last Thursday an interview with Chechen terrorist Shamil Basayev given to Radio Freedom's correspondent Andrei Babitski.
"American TV companies broadcast fragments of statements made by Usama bin Laden, Aiman Zavakhiri and others. Right after September 11 we requested TV companies to consider that those statements may contain messages or other kinds of information for other terrorist cells, but at that time we clearly stated that the decision on what they will broadcast remains exclusively with the TV companies and the media themselves", stressed S. McCormack.
"Broadcasting an interview is a constitutional right of any US medium, and we have no part in making a decision on the showing of an interview", said the State Department's spokesman.
"In out view, leader of the Chechen insurgents Shamil Basayev is a terrorist who took the responsibility for the seizure of the school in Beslan last year and the seizure of the Theater on Dubrobka in Moscow in October 2002, as well as for other acts of terror which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people", said S. McCormack. He reminded that "in August 2003 Basayev was recognized as a threat to the security and the people of the United States".
"We resolutely condemn any acts of terror, and, as we have said earlier in particular concerning Chechnya, no purpose may justify the actions causing deaths or the risk of death of innocent civilians", said the State Department's spokesman.
"The US Government had no part in ABC's decision to broadcast the interview. The US Government is not authorized to forbid ABC to use its constitutional right to show an interview", emphasized S. McCormack.
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