DUBAI: The UN spokesperson on Wednesday called for journalists to be respected a day after controversy erupted in Lebanon over a US diplomat’s remarks.
US Special Envoy Tom Barrack, in a press conference on Tuesday at Baabda Palace south of Beirut, described Lebanese journalists’ behavior as “animalistic.”
He said: “The moment this starts becoming chaotic, like animalistic, we’re gone.”
Responding to the controversy, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said: “I treat all the journalists I deal with, with the utmost respect, and everyone should.”
At the palace press conference, Barrack called on the gathering journalists to “act civilized, act kind, act tolerant, because this is the problem with what’s happening in the region.”
He asked them if they thought it was “economically beneficial” for him and deputy envoy Morgan Ortagus to be there “putting up with this insanity.”
His comments sparked outrage, with journalists and media unions describing them as “humiliating” and “racist.”
Lebanon’s presidency issued a statement that said it “deeply regrets the remark made inadvertently from its podium by one of its guests,” without naming Barrack.
The Syndicate of Lebanese Press Editors demanded an apology from the US envoy, calling his remarks “absolutely unacceptable and highly reprehensible.” It also said it would urge media outlets to boycott his remaining visits to Lebanon if an apology was not issued.
On Wednesday, Barrack canceled a planned visit to the southern town of Khiam and the city of Tyre, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.
