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Iraqi govt launches broadside against Al
Jazeera TV
7.2.2007
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BAGHDAD, February
7,-- Iraq's government on Wednesday accused Al
Jazeera television, which it kicked out of the
country two years ago, of helping to "spread death
and destruction" in its reporting.
The cabinet called on parliament to take legal
action against the pan-Arab Qatar-based satellite
channel that has angered the Shi'ite-led government
with its Iraq coverage.
"Al Jazeera continues to have a publicly shameless
stand against the Iraqi people and to contribute in
spreading death and destruction in Iraq," the
cabinet said.
Al Jazeera said the statement was "unjustified,
baseless and ridiculous". "What did we do, nothing?"
said Ahmed Sheikh, the editor-in-chief of Al
Jazeera's Arabic service.
"The Iraqi government is looking for a scapegoat to
justify their failure in bringing security and
stability to Iraqis."
The government banned Jazeera from reporting in Iraq
two years ago, although its new English-language
service has a presence in Baghdad and it continues
to broadcast from the northern autonomous region of
Kurdistan.
The government accuses Jazeera of fomenting
sectarianism among its divided majority Shi'ite and
minority Sunni sects, whose mutual mistrust exploded
into violence following the bombing of a revered
Shi'ite mosque in February 2006.
"Al Jazeera broadcasts programmes that try to create
a state of confusion, distort facts and distract the
international public opinion from the disastrous
crimes committed by gangs," the statement said.
"We call on parliament to take a strict and clear
attitude towards this channel and use the legal
methods to sue it and deter it from its hostility to
the aspirations and ambitions of the Iraqi people
and the national government."
NO REASON
It gave no reason for the new criticism, but one
official in the ruling Shi'ite alliance said a talk
show was broadcast on Tuesday that criticised the
government and Shi'ite parties.
The government has shown itself sensitive to
criticism in the past and has also clamped down on
media outlets it says are inciting sectarianism or
violence. Most locally based channels are controlled
by political parties or religious factions.
In January, it ordered the closure of Sharkiya, a
popular Iraqi channel based in Dubai, and in
November two local channels were briefly taken off
air.
It also forced Jazeera's main rival, Al-Arabiya, to
shut its Baghdad bureau for a month in September.
"The Iraqi government is very sensitive about anyone
highlighting the negatives in the country," said
Dubai-based Iraq analyst Mustafa Alani. "They
particularly don't like someone like Al Jazeera
highlighting issues of militias, corruption and all
the other problems. Jazeera has a real influence
over Arab public opinion."
Alani said Jazeera had run into trouble with other
Middle Eastern governments. "I don't think they are
picking on the Iraq government to undermine their
credibility," he said. (Additional reporting by Ross
Colvin in Baghdad, and Inal Ersan in Dubai)
Reuters
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