Foreign Correspondent Peter Arnett has joined 2UE’s coverage of Iraq. Arnett is based in Baghdad and will give listeners ongoing accounts as a possible war draws closer.

Arnett became a household name for his coverage of the 1991 Gulf War for CNN, when he was the only TV correspondent broadcasting live from Baghdad. His earlier coverage of the Vietnam War won him a Pulitzer Prize.

Arnett can be heard regularly on 2UE at 7.15am and 3.20 pm, and will also be filing for the Southern Cross News Service.

2UE Program Director Sandy Aloisi told radioinfo: “Peter was the last western journalist to interview Saddam Hussein. He can provide our listeners with a rare insight into exactly what’s happening in Baghdad as the crisis unfolds.”

Also covering the conflict for 2UE are Malcolm Stewart in London, Richard Arnold in America and Jay Bushinsky in Israel.

ABC Radio has also sent a reporter into Iraq to cover the looming conflict. ABC Current Affairs department told radioinfo Mark Willacy is currently south of Baghdad. Speaking about the difficulty of gathering information in Iraq the Current Affairs spokesperson said: “Their movements are monitored and if they get too close to something they are politely but firmly told to move on.”

ABC reporters underwent basic military and first aid training before leaving to cover the Gulf situation so that they have a better chance of remaining safe.

Also in the Middle East for the ABC are Foreign Affairs Editor Peter Cave and Jane Hutcheon, both in Jerusalem.