Professor Godfrey Wettinger: "I've done it almost risking my life."

"In history we have to deal with the past on its own terms, and the terms of history are the documentary evidence, which is the case of all countries, either written or archaeological, or linguistic in this case. The Maltese language is Arabic, not Punic and all that other rubbish. That idea was abandoned about a hundred years ago by academics. Some people are still wondering about Punic, Lebanese and so on because there is a resemblance in the language. Maltese is Arabic with some Italian words, a lot of Sicilian words, and so on." More...

María Elvira Sagarzazu - Argentinian investigative historian, researcher, novelist and essayist

"It is not simple to describe what was it like to be a Morisco in Spain. They were a part of the Moslem Umma but yet suffered from what today is regarded as identity conflict. Being their society centered on religion, the banning of Islam and its institutions determined the end of the community. They considered themselves Spaniards, when this name was scarcely used by Christians, who still preferred to be called after their regional identities (Catalonian, Aragonese, etc). At that time, in the XV century, there were no Spaniards because there was no Spain as yet; Spain as a unified state came into existence after the fall of Grenade, in 1492. Before this time, her territories were those of Hispania in Roman times, and were conformed by several kingdoms, some even with a language of their own. But one of those kingdoms, Grenade, was still under Moslem rule until most of the XV century, with Arabic being spoken there. Grenade remained as the only Moslem kingdom after Cordoba´s Caliphate split into smaller emirates. At that time, the peoples living in most of the territory later to become Spain, though not a homogeneous territory, culturally speaking, shared their Christian faith. This fact turned religion into a powerful political instrument of unity for the Christian authorities, and as such was employed to re-conquest Spain from the Moors, as Moslems were called." More...

The true iron lady of politics

I watched Margaret Thatcher at the upper window of 10 Downing Street as she looked from behind a partly drawn small curtain to see her successor John Major getting into the prime ministerial car. She appeared satisfied at her party's choice for the next prime minister but she never believed Major will be another male Margaret Thatcher. That role can be claimed, astonishingly enough, by Labour's Tony Blair. Thatcher was always blunt and determined but not an iron lady. The true iron lady of the time was Indira Gandhi - a small woman with a larger shadow than most contemporary politicians until the very end of her tragic life. A shattering loss for everybody. More...

The last interview of the first victim of the invasion that brought Russia down

I was arrested in down town Kabul by nervous soldiers for violating a night curfew I was not told about by the receptionist of my hotel who did not speak English. But instead of being driven the next morning to be shot or spend Christmas in prison I found myself in the presence of the one time coup plotter and school teacher President Hafizulla Amin. It soon transpired he was more keen to interview me than being interviewed but little did we know at the time the seismic changes awaiting not just Afghanistan but the whole world until that very day. More...

Controversial to his last day in office and beyond

I met Mahatir Mohammad, the Prime Minister Of Malaysia, at the top floor of the Abu Dhabi Hilton during a state visit to the UAE in March 1984 and I have followed his fortunes since. If he is really interested in leading the Islamic World then he will have no contenders. If he can achieve a fraction of the success he achieved in his country then the Islamic World and the whole World with it will be a safer and better place for all. Isn't that what everybody wants, including the Jews? More...

He tried but never believed it would ever work in the Middle East

"You seem to have a bigger name internationally than small Austria", I asked Bruno Kreisky, the Chancellor Of Austria in December 1981, " does that worry you?".
The 70 plus Kreisky looked suddenly very uncomfortable but I never knew for certain whether it was because of the stupid question or the stupid questioner his propaganda assistants cajoled him to meet. One of the greatest black and white politicians of his era. More...

Who ever thought that Tony Blair will be the true successor of Thatcherism

I was warned so I did my homework thoroughly and prepared all the right questions and additional ones to answers I predicted Mrs.. Margaret Thatcher (The Iron Lady, for some) would give to me or to one of my other six colleagues. I looked young and confident and the pool meeting (April 1981 in 10 Downing St. ) was relaxed but when I played the brand new tape recorder in the taxi taking me to my hotel I was shocked. I had inserted the batteries the wrong way and the machine was extremely hot but the tape dead cold. More...

Not a mystery, really. Few sequels are as good as the original films

One of the mysteries of history is how a certain great era produces certain great politicians. The reverse is true but also ironic. Those who succeed great politicians inherit only the shadow and it shows in most things they do. Fred Sinowatz, the successor to Bruno Kreisky, was aware of the predicament but he fended off the impression with a gentle nature. More...

The un-sophisticated, and less dangerous, President of Pakistan

A devout Muslim espousing devout Muslim ideas in Pakistan and beyond, Mohammad Zial-ul-Haq, the strong military man of Pakistan whom I met in Islamabad in December 1987 looked and sounded confident in his destiny, that of his country and Muslim countries all over the world. One wonders whether South East Asia with him in power would have been a more stable area two decades later or worse. That remains an intriguing question not very dissimilar from the one concerning the true circumstances of his death. Was it an accident, a USA or a USSR plot? More...

Here is an honest leader if there was ever one

I came out from a TV interview with Mohammad Khan Junejo, the Prime Minister Of Pakistan in Karachi in December 1987 with the impression of meeting an honest, no-nonsense politician- a rare commodity anywhere, anytime. His greatest worries were the spreading terrorism and the instability in war-ravaged neighbouring Afghanistan. Sounds oddly current doesn't it? More...

A glimpse behind the trappings of power and celebrity

I was told by my first editor that a good journalist is judged by the copy he throws away not the one he puts in the newspaper. How true, so here are some of the photos that did not find their way to the pages of the newspaper and news agencies I have worked for throughout the years hoping they will be useful to some. Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, actress Vanessa Redgrave, Mrs.. Margaret Thatcher (at her and my London constituency) and others. Have a look.