TOP DIPLOMATIC EDITOR TO HEAD UP BASIC TEAM
IN WASHINGTON
BASIC Media Advisory
Monday, 13 July 2009 - IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BASIC is pleased to announce that Anne Penketh,
long-time Diplomatic Editor at The Independent
in London, will be leading BASIC's Washington team working
to promote nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. Anne
is an international journalist who has covered diplomatic
and disarmament issues for many years with first hand, on-the-ground
experience of the US, Russia, Iran and North Korea.
Paul Ingram, Executive Director of BASIC,
says:
"Anne brings a long and distinguished
record reporting on disarmament and broader global strategic
relationships. BASIC is extremely fortunate to have Anne in
Washington, a move that will strengthen our transatlantic
operation and deepen our ability to represent the importance
of the global nuclear disarmament agenda to key groups in
Washington — in the Administration, on Capitol Hill and
in the media — and the perspectives of key allies in
supporting these moves."
Anne Penketh says:
"With a new President articulating a
visionary agenda, it is an exciting time to be active on this
most critical global issue in Washington. There are many challenges
facing us on this agenda over the coming months, and it is
a privilege to be working on them with BASIC."
Anne was a reporter at the Reykjavik summit
in 1986 between Presidents Reagan and Gorbachev and their
vision of a nuclear weapon-free world is once again shaping
global disarmament negotiations. She has been posted in Moscow,
Paris, London and at the United Nations in New York. She spent
much of her career steeped in the nitty-gritty of disarmament
treaties, learning the language of START, INF and the CFE.
In recent years she has continued to work on disarmament and
non-proliferation issues including covering the standoff at
the UN over Iraq's WMD, and over Iran's nuclear program. She
has interviewed both Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei on these
issues, and accompanied Kofi Annan on a trip to Washington.
Her UN experience has provided an essential insight into multilateral
negotiations, including the review conference of the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
BASIC is focusing its transatlantic resources
on the targeted promotion of the steps toward a nuclear weapon
free world and toward effective multilateral nuclear nonproliferation.
With a growing and committed staff, and active network of
Board members, influential Advisers, former staff and Patrons
on both sides of the Atlantic working to a common purpose,
BASIC is unique. We have excellent access in London, which
has value not only in itself, but also in encouraging policy
progress on nuclear disarmament in Washington. Believing these
issues are critically influenced by transatlantic relationships,
we have taken important steps since launching our Getting
to Zero program in November 2007 to play to our strength and
maximize our transatlantic impact, in both our operations
and in building up our team structure.
Anne starts with BASIC on 1st August 2009.
This is a new post, designed specifically to raise the profile
of BASIC in Washington.
For further comment, please contact:
Paul Ingram, Executive Director
+44 7908 708175
pingram at basicint.org
ENDS
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