Jean-Marie Arnoult from the Bibliotheque National de France was denied a visa which would have allowed him to travel with a UNESCO (United nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural organisation) team that visited Baghdad earlier this month. An anonymous source alleged that Arnoult was denied the visa because he is French and was vocal in his opposition to the Iraq War.
Ross Shimon, general secretary of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) condemned the U.S. decision. Shimon has requested that members of the international library and information community speak out and expose this ”scandalous state of affairs”. More here. That\’s the only news story to date, but the story is making the rounds on lists, and support for an ALA resolution is strong.
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