Evidence that the US has been running a campaign to suppress the only free press in the Arab world? Ah, but CBS didn't say that, did they?
Excuse you, I didn't say that was from CBS. It was from Reuters via BBC, quoting the Emir of Qatar.
<<< Al-Jazeera is, naturally, despised and feared by the dictatorships of the
region, particularly because of its frank exposures of their human rights
records. The U.S. has joined their ranks. BBC reports that "The U.S. is not
the first to feel aggrieved by al-Jazeera coverage, which has in the past
provoked anger from Algeria, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Egypt for
giving airtime to political dissidents."
The Emir of Qatar confirmed that "Washington has asked Qatar to rein in
the influential and editorially independent Arabic al-Jazeera television
station," BBC reported. The Emir, who also chairs the Organization of
Islamic Conference that includes 56 countries, informed the press in
Washington that Secretary of State Powell had pressured him to rein in
Al-Jazeera: to "persuade Al-Jazeera to tone down its coverage," Al-Jazeera
reports. Asked about the reports of censorship, the Emir said: "This is true.
We heard from the U.S. administration, and also from the previous U.S.
administration" (BBC, October 4, 2001, citing Reuters). >>>
Tom |
