Iraqi govt closes Al-Jazeera

2004-08-07 21:37

Baghdad, Iraq - The Iraqi government said on Saturday it was closing the Baghdad office of Al-Jazeera for 30 days, accusing the pan-Arab television station of inciting violence in the country.

"They have been showing a lot of crimes and criminals on TV, and they (send) a bad picture about Iraq and about Iraqis and encourage criminals to increase their activities," Iraqi Interior Minister Falah al-Naqib said.

Al-Jazeera was not told of the reason for the closure, said Jihad Ballout, the network's spokesperson.

"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.

Iraqi police came to the station's Baghdad office on Saturday evening, but did not order it sealed because they lacked the necessary papers, said Haider al-Mulla, a lawyer for the television network.

Al-Jazeera was still considering its legal options, al-Mulla said.

"In principle we will abide by the decision, but we will see what legal action to take," he told The Associated Press.

Government ministers have grown increasingly critical of the television station in recent weeks.

One sided reporting/b>

Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said the government had convened an independent commission a month ago to monitor Al-Jazeera's daily coverage "to see what kind of violence they are advocating, inciting hatred and problems and racial tension".

Based on the commission's finding, the national security committee ordered the monthlong closure, Allawi said.

The closure was intended to give the station "a chance to readjust their policy against Iraq", al-Naqib said.

"We want to protect our people."

Previously, Iraqi officials have complained that the station was one-sided. They have also been critical of other Arab-language television stations.

Ballout described the Iraqi 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".

The station has run into trouble before in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein last year.

The Iraqi governing council, in place during the US occupation, banned the station's reporters from entering its offices or covering its new conferences for a month in January because it had reportedly shown disrespect toward prominent Iraqis.

That was the second such ban imposed by the governing council on the station.

- AP