Media News - Thursday, September 13, 2007

Arab editor says Australian visa delay racist

A London-based Palestinian journalist, who once interviewed Osama Bin Laden, accused Australian authorities of racism Wednesday for failing to issue him a visa to attend a literary festival. Abdel Bari Atwan, the editor of Al Quds Al Arabi newspaper in London, said lengthy, unexplained visa delays were preventing him from attending the Brisbane Writers Festival in Queensland state. Atwan, who interviewed Bin Laden in 1996, and released a book called The Secret History of Al Qaeda, last year, said Australia was the only country where he had experienced visa problems. Atwan said other journalists who had interviewed Bin Laden had subsequently visited Australia, leading him to believe his visa problems were racially motivated. Atwan, who is scheduled to speak at the festival Thursday, said he submitted his visa application six weeks ago. The Australian immigration department says short-term business visas can take up to four weeks to process, although festival director Michael Campbell said applications took only a few days for other international guests. He believed Atwan was being targeted because of his role at Al Quds Al Arabi. (AFP via Middle East Times)

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