Monday, May 07, 2007
Iraqi government asks Qatar to rein in Al Jazeera
Media
(Azzaman) - The Iraqi government has asked its Qatari counterpart to interfere with the Arabic Aljazeera satellite channel to halt what it described as its anti-Iraqi rhetoric. A statement by the Foreign Ministry said the channel, the Arab world’s most influential broadcaster, hosted “terrorist leaders” and “insulted the national Iraqi symbols in its programs and news bulletins.”
Aljazeera is banned to report from Iraq and its offices have been closed for nearly two years. However, the channel still manages to scoop major competitors by airing interviews and broadcasting events which seem to have angered the Iraqi authorities. There were large-scale demonstrations against the channel in the cities of Nasiriya and Najaf following an Aljazeera news report which said that Shiite clerics do not condemn operations targeting innocent Iraqi civilians. The statement signed by Foreign Ministry Hoshyar al-Zaibari said Aljazeera reporting of Iraq-related events mounted to “meddling in internal Iraqi affairs and directly contributes to the incitement of terror.”
Aljazeera is banned to report from Iraq and its offices have been closed for nearly two years. However, the channel still manages to scoop major competitors by airing interviews and broadcasting events which seem to have angered the Iraqi authorities. There were large-scale demonstrations against the channel in the cities of Nasiriya and Najaf following an Aljazeera news report which said that Shiite clerics do not condemn operations targeting innocent Iraqi civilians. The statement signed by Foreign Ministry Hoshyar al-Zaibari said Aljazeera reporting of Iraq-related events mounted to “meddling in internal Iraqi affairs and directly contributes to the incitement of terror.”
Labels: Al Jazeera, demonstration, Hoshyar Zibari, Iraq, Najaf, Nasiriyah, Qatar
