WASHINGTON - Newsweek magazine should do more to address the fatal fallout from the article it ran saying the Koran had been desecrated by US troops at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba US naval base, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Tuesday.
"We appreciate the step that Newsweek took yesterday. It was a good first step. What we would like to see now is for Newsweek to work to help repair the damage that has been done, particularly in the region," McClellan told reporters.
Newsweek magazine reported earlier this month that US interrogators at Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba had defiled copies of the Muslim holy book and stuffed one down a lavatory to rattle Muslim prisoners. The magazine on Monday retracted the story which triggered an uproar among Muslim nations, including Pakistan, and sparked riots that left 14 people dead in Afghanistan.
"Newsweek certainly has the ability to help to undo what damage can be undone," the spokesman argued.
McClellan said "Newsweek can clearly explain what happened and why they got it wrong, particularly to the people of the region. They can also talk about the 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. There are policies in place for detainees when it comes to the Koran. They're provided copies of the Koran and they are provided opportunites to worship freely," the spokesman said.
"The Koran is handled with great care and there are very strict guidelines when it comes to that. There are some who are opposed to the United States who have used this report to miscaracterize our views and the values that we want to uphold in the United States and so I think now it is one of their responsabilities to help repair some of the damage that was done," he added.
05/17/2005 15:39 GMT