Iraqi TV Head Quits, U.S. Accused Of Looting Equipment
An Iraqi engineer works at the programs section of the Iraqi radio station in Baghdad
By Aws al-Sharqi, IOL Correspondent
BAGHDAD, August 6 (IslamOnline.net) - The U.S.-appointed head of the Iraqi Television, Ahmad al-Rikabi, resigned Tuesday, August 5, amid speculations the repeated looting of TV equipment by U.S. troops and disappointment at not being tipped for a portfolio in the government to be formed by Governing Council prompted the resignation.
"One of the main reasons that made Rikabi tender his resignation is that the TV building in the Baghdad Conference Center was frequently ransacked by U.S. troops," well-placed sources in the Iraqi TV told IslamOnline.net Wednesday, August 5.
"Few weeks ago, U.S. troops stole digital cameras and computer hardware from the building," the sources said, adding that no one was able to stop them.
TV employees said they went on strikes to get pay-rise and have transport vehicles, noting that Rikabi promised to meet their demands if they ended their strike and restart work.
But Rikabi, the employees added, did not honor his pledges after being rebuffed by the U.S. administration in Iraq, placing him in an embarrassing situation.
Rikabi had accused the U.S. of paying no heed to the Iraqi demands and procrastination.
Minister Hopeful
But Gamal Hamdi, a former employee in Baghdad Radio, told IOL that Rikabi's resignation was not driven by his failure to meet the demands of his employees, but because he was not among nominees for seats in the would-be transitional government.
"When his name was not included in the nominees’ list, he decided to step down…Rikabi saw himself as the man who steered the Iraqi media after the ouster of Saddam Hussein," Hamdi added.
He further downplayed the importance of the Iraqi television, saying that most Iraqis tune in to other more attracting satellite channels.
All former employees in the Iraqi TV and Radio building and satellite channel were on board that Rikabi was the man behind their lay-offs.
Laila al-Sheikh, one of the sacked employees, told IOL that Rikabi was stepping down to press the U.S. into giving Iraqi news more flexibility in their media coverage.
Losing Media Battle
In an interview with Reuters, Rikabi said the U.S. was losing the media battle to the deposed Iraqi president.
He said Saddam gains ground through airing his audiotapes by Aljazeera and Al-Arabiya satellite news channels.
Rikabi said the U.S. failed to promote its policy through Iraqi TV channels, particularly after other Arab channels such as Aljazeera won the hearts of the Iraqis.
He accused theses channels of inciting the Iraqi people against the U.S.-British troops, noting that the Sunnis were about to revolt against "their liberators."
The two Arabic-language satellite channels on July 28 vehemently rejected "slanderous" accusations by U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz of being unbalanced in their coverage of the situation in Iraq, accusing the U.S.-led forces of wanting to control all media.
Three months ago, Rikabi returned from his London exile, who were was working in an American-funded broadcast, to Iraq on board a U.S. plane to start the transmission of Iraqi TV and Radio.
This he did saying:" Welcome to new Iraq…Welcome to an Iraq without Saddam and his two sons Qusay and Uday."
Rikabi had said that the situation in Iraq would deteriorate if the U.S. pull out its troops, noting that "it will take Iraq generations to undo the wrongdoings of Saddam."
On May 14, the Iraqi television started transmission with new frequency, but without Qur’an recitation or even Adhan (call prayers).
It began its transmission with airing songs, news bulletins and instructions of the "coalition forces" to the Iraqi people on how to deal with U.S. soldiers. |
