USEB 072: THE IRAQI INTERIM GOVERNMENT AND AL-

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 000137 STATE FOR NEA, NEA/PA, AND NEA/I DOD FOR OASD/PA NSC FOR PA EMBASSIES/CONSULATES FOR PA AND POL E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/13/2014 TAGS: KPAO PGOV IZ SUBJECT: USEB 072: THE IRAQI INTERIM GOVERNMENT AND AL- JAZEERA CLASSIFIED BY DCM JAMES JEFFREY FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) Summary. On July 10, Iraqi Prime Minister Dr. Ayad Allawi met with the chief of the news room from Al- Jazeera's Doha headquarters, Mr. Sadi Al-Shouly (who is also responsible for all worldwide Al-Jazeera correspondents),along with Al-Jazeera's Baghdad Bureau Chief, Mr. Hamid Hadeed. The meeting, originally scheduled to last one-half hour, was extended to an hour and a half as PM Allawi effectively read the riot act to his two visitors. End summary. ¶2. (C) A witness to the session reports the following highlights. Prime Minister Allawi opened his meeting with the two visitors from Al-Jazeera with a question: "So what are your plans for harming the Iraqi people these days?" The deflated Al-Jazeera guests were then treated to a thorough dressing-down, with Allawi accusing Al-Jazeera of having a political agenda, and then assuring his visitors that their agenda "will fail" and that the Iraqi people will be victorious regardless of Al-Jazeera's efforts to undermine stability in the region. ¶3. (C) Among the specific accusations that Allawi leveled against Al-Jazeera were the following: -- the lack of accurate and factual reporting by Al- Jazeera correspondents on the ground in Iraq; -- the station acting as a mouthpiece for terrorists by airing their audio and video tapes; -- and broadcasting videos of masked men trying to intimidate him and the Iraqi people. The PM stressed that Al-Jazeera will fail in its goal, as he and his people "have been through too much hardship to be threatened by a group of masked men". ¶4. (C) The PM also stated that he is going to approach the Qatari government to discuss the impact that a state- run broadcaster such as Al-Jazeera has on IraqiQQatari bilateral relations. ¶5. (C) Allawi continued, that regardless of its efforts, 99% of the Iraqi people reject Al-Jazeera and its agenda, and are aware that Al-Jazeera never covers any positive news stories; rather, Iraqis understand that Al-Jazeera's sole interest is incitement to discontent, even violence. The PM also informed his visitors that there is now an independent Iraqi media commission that will hold media organizations accountable for malpractice and provocation. Further, he conveyed that neither he, nor any members of his staff, will cooperate with Al-Jazeera until they adjust their coverage. The PM did mention, however, that he will send a representative to Doha next week to represent Iraq in a conference which Al-Jazeera is holding with key political figures, in order to reiterate these points. He concluded by acknowledging that "it is acceptable, even welcome, to criticize the Interim Government; however, do not dare harm the people of Iraq". ¶6. (C) The Al-Jazeera representatives got the message. For their part, they claimed that the shortfalls in Al- Jazeera coverage of Iraq cited by the PM were often due to an inability to obtain information and clarification from official sources concerning breaking news events, a lack of government spokesmen and an Iraqi Interim Government public affairs infrastructure. ¶7. (C) Comment: Shortly after the transfer of sovereignty to his government, PM Allawi told us that he was thinking of closing the Al-Jazeera bureau in Baghdad and banning Al-Jazeera correspondents from Iraq. Our counsel was to take another approach; to inform Al-Jazeera that their reporting is under scrutiny, and that the government intends to monitor media coverage through an independent commission. PM Allawi did exactly that in his meeting with these representatives from Al-Jazeera. End comment. NEGROPONTE