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Malaysian FM denies apologising for Mahathir attack on Jews
Putrajaya, Oct 17: Malaysia`s Foreign Minister today denied apologising for Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad`s controversial attack on Jews at an Islamic summit meeting here.
Putrajaya, Oct 17: Malaysia's Foreign Minister
today denied apologising for Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's
controversial attack on Jews at an Islamic summit meeting
here.
The western media had twisted his remarks, Syed Hamid
Albar told reporters amidst a storm of criticism over
Mahathir's statement that Jews rule the world.
"I said in Malay that I regretted or felt sad that
the speech was taken out of context. In English I said I'm
sorry that the speech was taken out of context, that the
whole thing was taken out of context.
"That is not saying I'm sorry for the speech made by
the Prime Minister. I did not say that."
Syed Hamid blamed the western media's "fondness for
spin" for the reports that he had apologised.
"Their fondness of twisting the truth has become a
habit."
Mahathir's provocative declaration that "Jews rule
this world" and get others to fight and die for them drew
violently contrasting reaction in the western world and at
the meeting here of the 57-member Organisation of the Islamic
Conference (OIC).
Western nations condemned the speech as outrageous
and offensive, while Israel's ambassador to Singapore Itzhak
Shoham compared the remarks to those made by Adolf Hitler.
Bureau Report