Newsweek Apology ‘Not Enough’

Newsweek should be held responsible for damage caused by violent anti-American demonstrations that followed its now-retracted report about U.S. interrogators desecrating the Koran at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, prison camp, an Afghan government spokesman said Tuesday.

Pakistan’s government spurned the magazine’s apology as “not enough,” and the White House called for Newsweek to do more to repair the damage to America’s image in Muslim nations.

In Afghanistan, where at least 14 people died in clashes with security forces, presidential spokesman Jawed Ludin said Newsweek’s retraction on Monday was a “positive step.”

“But at the same time, we feel angered at the way this story has been handled,” Ludin said at a news conference. “It’s only fair to say at this stage that Newsweek can be held responsible for the damages caused by their story.”

However, Ludin said that the government suspected “elements from within and outside Afghanistan” had helped turn the peaceful protests violent. Afghans’ strong feelings about Guantanamo “also provided a reason for the enemies of Afghanistan and for those who are keen to cause destruction in Afghanistan to ... cause the riots,” Ludin said.

Some prisoners released from Guantanamo Bay have charged that U.S. interrogators defiled the Koran, but no widespread violence erupted until the Newsweek report.

Pentagon spokesman Lawrence DiRita said earlier allegations were not investigated because they were not considered credible.

In Islamabad, Pakistani Information Minister Sheik Rashid Ahmed said, “Just an apology is not enough. They should think 101 times before publishing news that hurts hearts.”

In Washington, Scott McClellan, the White House press secretary, called the retraction a good first step, but said the newsweekly should “help repair the damage that has been done, particularly in the region,” by explaining “what happened and why they got it wrong.”

“They can also talk about policies and practices of the United States military. Our United States military goes out of its way to treat the holy Koran with great care and respect,” McClellan said.

“One of the concerns is that some media organizations have used anonymous sources that are hiding behind that anonymity in order to generate negative attacks,” he said.

The administration frequently conducts news briefings and insists that the briefers not be identified by name. McClellan rejected suggestions that the practice might contribute to credibility problems.

The U.S. State Department sent a cable Monday night to all its diplomatic posts, urging ambassadors to assure host governments and local media of “U.S. respect for religious worship and tolerance.”

The cable also directed U.S. diplomats to express the administration’s “sympathy to the families of those injured and those killed” in the clashes.