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Iraqi Government Shuts Al-Jazeera Station

Posted on: Saturday, 7 August 2004, 06:00 CDT

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The Iraqi government has decided to close the Baghdad offices of the pan-Arab television station Al-Jazeera for 30 days, the government said Saturday.

Al-Jazeera was not given a reason for the closure, said Jihad Ballout, the network's spokesman.

"It is a regrettable decision, but Al-Jazeera will endeavor to cover the situation in Iraq as best as we can within the constraints," he said.

Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's spokesman Georges Sada confirmed the one-month closure, but did not elaborate.

Government ministers have recently been critical of the television station.

During a July 25 interview with Al-Jazeera in Moscow, interim Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari accused the channel of tilted reporting and implied its journalists could be barred from the country.

Zebari described the network's coverage as "one-sided," and also condemned the reporting of several other Arab stations.

"We do not tolerate those who exploited the freedom of the media," Zebari said then. "These channels have become channels for provocation against the interest, security and safety of the Iraqi people and the Iraqi government will not be lenient toward such behavior."

Ballout described the government's decision as "unwise" and said it restrains both the freedom of the press and "right of the Arab people around the world to see a comprehensive picture about what's going on in an important region like Iraq."

Al-Jazeera has occasionally run into problems with authorities in other Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan and the former Iraqi regime. Unlike Arab state-run media, the station often airs views of local opposition figures and their criticisms of their countries' rulers.

The network has often been criticized for its coverage of the war on Iraq by a number of senior U.S. officials for being an outlet for al-Qaida terror network, broadcasting videotapes and audiotapes purportedly from Osama bin Laden or his aides. Al-Jazeera denied the allegations.

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