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Home / CNN mislead Nandi-Ndaitwah and the public – Tweya
CNN mislead Nandi-Ndaitwah and the public – Tweya
2017-10-27Staff Report 2 Staff Reporter Windhoek-The Ministry of Information and Communication has accused Cable News Network (CNN) of having disguised the motive for which permission for an interview was granted with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah. According to a statement by the Minister of Information and Communication Technology Tjekero Tweya, CNN was granted permission to interview Nandi-Ndaitwah on Namibia’s role in regional stability and its impact globally. Contrary to their request, the news agency however trimmed its interview to Namibia’s relations with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). “However, their motive to conduct the interview based on the accreditation they received from MICT, was contrary to what they have requested,” said Tweya in a media release issued on Wednesday. The minister dispelled claims by CNN that Namibia had not submitted reports for more than a year to the UN Security Council (UNSC) sanctions committee, saying their report was undiplomatic and devoid of truth. Tweya maintained that Namibia has submitted two reports: one on March 31, 2015 and another on June 3, 2016 and two pieces of additional information on June 2, 2015 and November 16, 2015, as well as reporting guidelines and a voluntary report on April 8, 2017 to the UN Security Council Sanctions Committee, as required. The information minister reiterated that the government is committed to complying with the UN resolutions on DPRK, hence had invited the UN panel of experts to Namibia on September 12, 2017 to assess its compliance with the UNSC sanctions resolutions on the DPRK. “The committee has acknowledged Namibia’s invitation on the date and regretted that their calendar could not allow them to visit Namibia. That invitation still stands,” Tweya further added. To add salt to the wound, the MICT minister said, CNN omitted substantial responses by the interviewee, which would have given the viewers more background to appreciate what actually transpired throughout the interview. “The CNN reporter chose to mislead the world and avoided providing a full explanation, as given by the Deputy Prime Minister…” Tweya further remarked. He said during the interview International Relations Minister Nandi-Ndaitwah clarified that Namibia had terminated all contracts with KOMID and MOP in Namibia for as long as the UNSC sanctions against DPRK are in place. To this end, all DPRK national have departed from the country as part of the implementation of the UNSC sanctions resolutions. But despite the commitment to the implementation of the UN resolutions, government reaffirmed that diplomatic relations between the two states would continue. CNN on Sunday broadcast a reporting claiming that Namibia and 14 other African countries were being investigated for their dealings with DPRK. According to CNN, the 15 African countries - including Namibia - are alleged to have supported North Korea’s nuclear programme by funding various projects undertaken by North Korean firm Mansudae Overseas Projects, ranging from munitions factories, state houses and apartment blocks in various countries. Mansudae was linked by UN investigators to the alleged North Korean weapons exporting firm, Korea Mining Development Trading Corporation (Komid). 2017-10-27Staff Report 2
