Al-Jazeera Gets a Time Out [1]
Submitted by Diane Farsetta [2] on
"To protect the people of Iraq and the interests of Iraq," Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi [3] ordered the Al-Jazeera [4] television network's Baghdad offices closed for one month. The closure "will give them the chance to readjust their policy against Iraq," said Interior Minister Falah al-Naqib [5]. An Interior Ministry statement charged Al-Jazeera with "contribut[ing] to hindering the Iraqi reconstruction process by justifying kidnappings and killing of foreigners working here." Former U.S. ambassador to Qatar Kenton Keith said [6] Al-Jazeera has a slant which "most Americans are not comfortable with," but the network is "no more [biased] than other news organizations."