ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: It's time for your letters. And we begin with this from Friday's program.</s>ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: That is Syria's charge d'affaires here in Washington, Zouheir Jabbour. On Friday, he spoke with our co-host Melissa Block. And that conversation bothered many of our listeners.</s>ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: David Lane of Santa Barbara, California, took us to task. He writes this: I was very upset with this interview and saddened that you gave this man the opportunity to spread his lies.</s>AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: Jabbour vehemently defended his government's brutal crackdown on dissent that has killed perhaps 7,000 people, including two Western journalists. French President Nicholas Sarkozy called the deaths last week of American-born reporter Marie Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik murder. To that, Syria's charge d'affaires told us this.</s>ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: That sent Craig Cadman of Sioux Rapids, Iowa to his keyboard. He writes: I wanted to absolutely reach through the radio and slap that guy.</s>AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: While many of you clearly felt the same, you also praised Melissa. Jeff Ward of New York City writes: Hats off to Melissa Block for keeping her cool during the interview with the Syrian charge d'affaires. She let him lie, profusely and transparently, about the killings of Syrian civilians, while applying the calm, persistent pressure of reality with her questions.</s>ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: Please, keep your letters coming. You can write to us at NPR.org. Just click on Contact Us.</s>ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: This is NPR News.
Robert Siegel and Audie Cornish read emails from listeners about an interview with a Syrian official.