Borat barred from White House

Borat, the fictional anti-Semitic TV reporter from Kazakhstan, has been refused entry to the White House.Sacha Baron Cohen's comedy character had been planning to invite the US President to a screening of his upcoming movie, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.Baron Cohen's stunt was timed to coincide with an official visit by Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.Mr Nazarbayev has sought to raise the profile of the oil-rich former Soviet republic and assure the West that, contrary to Borat's claims, their country is not a nation of drunken anti-Semites who treat their women worse than their donkeys.Baron Cohen's character has angered Kazakh officials who feel people might see him as a real representation of the country. They have run ads on US TV and in magazines to try and control their image.But Borat denounced the publicity campaign as "disgusting fabrications" orchestrated by neighbouring Uzbekistan."If there is one more item of Uzbek propaganda claiming that we do not drink fermented horse urine, give death penalty for baking bagels, or export over 300 tonnes of human pubis per year, then we will be left with no alternative but to commence bombardment of their cities with our catapults," Borat said.Baron Cohen, 35, who is Jewish, recently co-starred in the recent US box office hit Talladega Nights and has appeared in TV comedy series Da Ali G Show.His Borat comedy routine has drawn legal threats from the Kazakh government which keeps a tight lid on criticism in its news media.

ITN | September 29, 2006

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