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The Deputy Minister of Tourism James Agyenim Boateng has expressed regret over his recent verbal banter with the communications director of the New Patriotic Party Nana Akomea. The two politicians exchanged very unsavoury words on Joy FM a few weeks ago when they were discussing the controversial mystery tape in which a voice alleged to be that of a Deputy Information Minister Baba Jamal is heard promising some journalists car and cash as reward for doing government�s bidding. Nana Akomea had called for a voice expert to authenticate whose voice it was on that tape but the Deputy Minister dismissed his call and said there was no need for such an expert. �...You find a Member of Parliament, a Director of Communications of the opposition political party who holds a press conference, denigrates a deputy minister of information, runs him down, runs a whole government machinery down; makes serious allegations as wanting to bribe and corrupt journalists. "He sits on a platform like this, you give him the opportunity to prove the very issues that he calls a press conference and speaks to, then he says that lets find an expert to establish the authenticity of the tape. What kind of shameful conduct is this" Agyenim Boateng questioned. �The point is that everybody who knows Baba Jamal and has heard his voice before will tell you; you don�t need to be a voice expert to tell that it is not Baba Jamal�s voice on that tape. "And I think it betrays the intelligence of those who addressed that press conference to come up with something as ridiculous as that�. �Nana Akomea should be telling us when this meeting took place�� �There are simple, sensible, basic questions that ought to be asked as far as this tape is concerned,� he said. When asked by Nana Akomea to withdraw his comments, James Agyenim Boateng added �I will not withdraw anything I have said in relation to this tape.� Obviously infuriated by the comments by the former Information Minister, the Communications Director of the NPP responded, �I would not be insulted on this programme and I demand a retraction of the unintelligent insinuation.� Mr Agyenim Boateng insisted he would not retract any of his pronouncements and went ahead to repeat them, causing the Okaikoi MP to retort �You are a stupid fool if you will sit on this programme and call me unintelligent. You are a stupid fool and you are a minister.� He refused to apologise or retract his comment unless the deputy Tourism Minister did same, which he refused to do. Asked whether he was willing to apologise on Monday August 8, two days after the incident, Nana Akomea replied �absolutely not� until he receives an apology from James Agyenim-Boateng first. James Agyenim Boateng speaking on the same platform (Joy FM) on Saturday August 20, the Deputy Information Minister expressed regret for getting into the verbal brawl. He said �the last time i was here there was a most unfortunate incident on the program and for me, i wish it had not happened. "For those who were offended by that development, i pledge myself and i dedicated myself to the politics of discussing issues and staying on issues�.