The chief executive of Research In Motion, walked out of an interview with the BBC after a reporter asked him about whether the company had resolved its issues over security with several governments.

BBC technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones asked about arguments with the Indian government and various governments in the Middle East. Is that anywhere near being sorted out? he asked.

Lazaridis said That's just not fair, and said the question implied that RIM has a security problem. We have no security problem.

He added that RIM has been singled out because of its success. [The Blackberry] is an iconic product, he said. It's used by business, it's used by leaders, it's used by celebrities, it's used by consumers, it's used by teenagers. We're just being singled out.

Cellan-Jones asked again if the issues were sorted out. Lazaridis responded saying the company is dealing with many issues. Cellan-Jones asked - referring to many viewers and listeners in the Middle East and India - if they could be confident that they could use their Blackberrys and be secure.

Interview's over, Lazaridis said. This is a national security issue.

The BBC says it plans to run a fuller cut of the interview later in the month.

The interview was originally given to talk about RIM's tablet offering, the Playbook. Cellan-Jones gave it generally good marks, calling it an impressive piece of hardware.

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