The Eastern European sections helped to establish Britain as a reliable and trusted ally abroad to all democratic forces in the oppressed countries of Communism. Eastern Europe woke up thanks to the World Service.

Now, at the threshold of membership of the European Union, Bulgarians are asking themselves: is London letting us down? Eastern Europe, especially Southeastern Europe, needs the World Service in vernacular because most of the people there still need information about Western practices and values.

The World Service, funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, is helping Britain to drift away from Europe in favour of closer ties with the Arab world. Britain is losing its political sense of belonging, cutting the last strings attached to the ideals of restoring democracy, market economy and prosperity through the power of the spoken word, and debate.

By closing these eight European sections, especially the Bulgarian one, Britain is beginning to turn its back on Eastern Europe.

THEODORA SHORT
(Producer, BBC World Service, Bulgarian Section, 1994-2002)
Kingston upon Thames
Surrey

Sir, It’s not more broadcasts in Arabic that are needed — most Arabs know all about us in the West — instead, we need more broadcasts from the Arab world in English. We generally know nothing of Arab views and that’s why they are seen at best as mysterious and at worst dangerous.

JEREMY WILLIAMS
(Defence Attaché, British Embassy, Abu Dhabi, 1989-92)
Alresford, Hants

Sir, The view that the Arab world needs objective reporting echoes the ill-fated American attempts to win over Arab sentiment by launching its own television and radio service. It panders to the notion that Arab anger and resentment at the US and the UK is somehow because we have failed to transmit our message properly rather than the farcical policies that have led to, among other things, chaos, instability and carnage in Iraq, and seemingly endless Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands.

CHRIS DOYLE
(Director, Council for Arab-British Understanding)
London EC4

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