INQUIRER hack caught in US Embassy Catch 22 situation

OUR GRAPHICS EDITOR Fuad Abazovic is a Bosnian citizen but is currently studying in Vienna.

Austria and Bosnia have long-standing reciprocal agreements for students.

But as well as being a student, Fuad (Fudo) has written for the IT press for four or more years - firstly for us when we were at The Register, and latterly at the INQUIRER. He also writes a column for a Croatian computer magazine.

But even though a multitude of IT firms based in the USA want to meet Fudo at the up-and-coming E3 show in Los Angeles, he's having the devil of a job getting there. And that's not because he's a devil by any means, we believe here at the INQwell.

Because Bosnia is not in the European Union, he needs a visa to enter the United States - and also European countries - and so he applied to the US Embassy in Austria, armed with a letter from the INQUIRER, and with invitation letters from well known IT companies including Corsair, ATI, Nokia, Sapphire and others.

Yet when he turned up at the US Embassy and paid his $90 for a visa, he was turned down. He was told he wasn't a journalist, didn't "look like a journalist" and also advised that if he turned up there again, he wouldn't be granted a visa again.

The INQUIRER made representations to the US Embassy here in Grosvenor Square in London, and officials there told us that he should re-apply here, seeing as the company that owns the INQwell, Breakthrough Publishing, is based here.

So we flew Fudo over at our own expense - the UK has given him a visa no problem -- but when he attempted to get an interview to apply for a visa, he was told not only could he not have an interview, but he would have to re-apply in Vienna again, given that his visa application was turned down there.

Now let's make a few things clear. First of all, he is a student in Vienna, he is a bona fide journalist working for the INQUIRER, his family is still based in Bosnia and he has no wish to do anything other than visit the US for a few days for an important IT-related show.

We can understand that the US must be careful who it admits, particularly given the terrorist attacks against the States, but this guy has been invited by many IT companies that realise he's a journalist and want to talk to him, and through him to you, the INQUIRER readers.

We've drawn a blank here. Fudo will re-apply to the US Embassy in Austria this coming Thursday and we'll let you know how he's got on. What to do about Fudo? µ

L'INQs
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