Saturday, 1 March 2008

TERMINADO O SIGILO: PRINCE HARRY REGRESSA A CASA


O numero tres na linha de sucessao da coroa britanica acaba de regressar da linha da frente no Afganistao onde esteve desde Dezembro de 2007. O regreso tem a ver com o fcto de nao ser segredo para ninguem a localizacao do Principe no Afganistao, o que segundo observadoesaumentaria o risco de ataques nao apenas em elacao ao Principe mas tambem e elacao aos seus colegas de missao. Os media britanicos haviam assinado um acordo com o ministerio da efesa britanico no sentido de nao divulgarem a noticia ate ao regresso do Principe. contudo uma jornal alemao, um website americanoe outro Australiano publicara a noticia.

O caso que esta a alimentar as conversas de rua em Londres. Deverao os membros da familia real participar em accoes miltares?

Prince returning from Afghan tour

Prince Harry chatted to friends as he waited to fly back to the UK

Prince Harry is on his way back to the UK after a news leak led to him being withdrawn 10 weeks into a deployment to the front line in Afghanistan.
The 23-year-old left on a flight on Friday evening amid concerns he would be a Taleban target if he stayed.

His tour had been the subject of an agreed news blackout by some media, but news was broken by a foreign website.

The Prince of Wales and Prince William will meet Harry when he arrives at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.

Harry said he was enjoying being in Afghanistan, away from the British media.

Speaking before his withdrawal from Helmand province, the third-in-line to the throne said he would relish another front-line posting.

"It's something I would love to do," he said.

"I don't want to sit around Windsor, because I generally don't like England that much and it's nice to be away from all the press and the papers."

'Taste of life'

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence has refused to be drawn on press speculation that his brother, Prince William, will be deployed on board a warship after his Royal Navy training later this year.

"It's our intention to give Prince William as full a taste of life in the Royal Navy as possible, which may include time on board a warship," a spokesman said.

"It's MoD policy not to discuss details of any individual's deployment or service".

Brize Norton station commander Malcolm Brecht said Prince Harry was one of many soldiers returning home at the same time.

He told BBC News: "There's nothing special today actually, this is routine.


HAVE YOUR SAY Prince Harry is a trained soldier. I'm in the service too and I'm pleased for him that he was allowed to go
Deborah, Hampshire, UK
Send us your comments"We have pretty much daily flights from Iraq and Afghanistan and he's one of many passengers coming back through here today, between 700 and 800. We look forward to welcoming them all back."

Prince Harry, who was secretly sent to Afghanistan in December, was ordered out of the country by defence chiefs on Friday.

He was put on a troop transport plane with about 170 personnel, most of them returning home having completed their tours of duty.

The Household Cavalry officer was picked up from manoeuvres and flown to a base at Kandahar to join his flight back to RAF Brize Norton, where he is expected to arrive just before 1000 GMT.

Earlier on Friday, the Ministry of Defence described the reporting of Harry's deployment by foreign media as "regrettable" but said that contingency plans for such a leak had been in place.

Chief of the Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, in consultation with the head of the Army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, had taken the final decision to withdraw Harry immediately, it said in a statement.

"This decision has been taken primarily on the basis that the worldwide media coverage of Prince Harry in Afghanistan could impact on the security of those who are deployed there, as well as the risks to him as an individual soldier."

Queen's praise

Prince Harry had been based in a former madrassa along with a Gurkha regiment.

Work involved calling up allied air cover in support of ground forces and going out on foot patrols.

The Queen, opening the Queen's Court Care Home in Windsor on Friday, said she believed her grandson had done "a good job in a very difficult climate".

THE EDITORS' BLOG

A news black-out is unusual, but not unique

Jon Williams,
World news editor, BBC News


Jon's comments in full

The prince's deployment was subject to a news blackout deal struck between the MoD and newspapers and broadcasters in the UK and abroad.

It is understood that the news was first leaked in an Australian publication in January but only after it had appeared on the influential US website, The Drudge Report, did the deal break down.

In exchange for not reporting the prince's deployment, some media organisations were granted access to the prince in Afghanistan for interviews and filming.

The prince's withdrawal is the second major blow to his army career.

Last year, a planned tour to Iraq had to be cancelled at the last minute because of fears about his and his colleagues' security.

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