Earlier this week, the head of the Islamic Republic’s radio-television broadcaster (IRIB), Ezatollah Zarghami, canceled his trip to the Netherlands where he was to have met with Dutch network heads. The official reason was that he had conflicts in his schedule, but perhaps protests planned by opponents of the regime which could have embarrassed Zarghami during his photo ops also played a part in the cancellation.
So where does the top media executive of a pariah regime have to go to get some love in Europe?
Germany, it seems, where Zarghami was welcomed by not one, but two network presidents in Mainz yesterday, Friday, July 9, 2010. Islamic Republic TV cameras were present to film Zarghami’s meeting with ARD chairman Peter Boudgoust and ZDF director-general Markus Schächter.
(video and report…)
