Sunday, April 01, 2007

US embassy denies report on advisory

We heard about this first from Watcher over at Maverick News Media.

Here's an update from Gulf in the Media.

The US embassy in Bahrain has denied that it has advised their citizens to leave Bahrain. Speaking to the Tribune, embassy spokesperson Helen LaFave said, “There has been no announcement by the US embassy which was worded to ask american citizens to leave Bahrain. These are baseless rumours which have sprung out of nowhere.”Reuters had reported that a senior White House official said on Friday that they had not heard anything about US citizens being advised to leave Bahrain.

The rumours Reuters reported may have stemmed from an embassy note to US residents which was posted on Thursday. The note allegedly advised citizens to avoid being in areas where opposition activists plan to hold protests, which often turn violent.A website called DEBKAfile had reported on March 30 that US financial sources in Bahrain report American investors in Bahrain advised to pack up business operations and leave.