IAEA head cancels BBC interview over Gaza aid row

From the Associated Press

VIENNA, Austria (AP) — The chief U.N. nuclear inspector has canceled a BBC interview to protest the network's refusal to air an appeal for Gaza.

Mohamed ElBaradei's office said Wednesday that not broadcasting it "violates the rules of basic human decency which are there to help vulnerable people irrespective of who is right or wrong."

The British Broadcasting Corp. and Sky News decided not to air the appeal from the Disasters Emergency Committee, an umbrella group of non-governmental humanitarian agencies.

BBC officials have said carrying the appeal would have damaged the network's impartiality in coverage of the conflict.

The BBC says it regrets the decision by the Egyptian-born head of the International Atomic Energy Agency and hopes he will do an interview at another time.