AMCIT AL JAZEERA NETWORK BOARD MEMBER CRITICIZES

C O N F I D E N T I A L DOHA 000526 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/PD, NEA/ARP AND S/CT NSC FOR ABRAMS, DOD/OSD FOR SCHENKER AND MATHENY LONDON FOR ARAB MEDIA OFFICE CENTCOM FWD FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/05/2011 TAGS: KPAO PREL PTER QA ALJAZEERA SUBJECT: AMCIT AL JAZEERA NETWORK BOARD MEMBER CRITICIZES AL JAZEERA REF: A. DOHA 312 ¶B. DOHA 467 Classified By: CDA Mirembe Nantongo, Reasons 1.4 (b&d) ¶1. (C) Summary: Mahmud Shammam, Washington bureau chief for the Dar Al Watan Newspaper and Newsweek Arabic, is an American citizen of Libyan descent, well-known for his criticism of the current Libyan regime and reportedly close to Qatar's Amir. Recently named a member of the newly-formed Al Jazeera Network's board of directors by Amiri decree in March (ref A),he was sharply critical of Al Jazeera and its management in a recent conversation with Emboffs. End summary. ¶2. (C) PAO, accompanied by Embassy FSN, met April 5 with Amcit Mahmud Shammam, Washington bureau chief for Newsweek Arabic, who is usually resident in Washington. Shammam said he was in Doha for the Al Jazeera Network (AJN) Board's monthly meeting and would be traveling to Doha monthly from now on for the same purpose. He told PAO that he had not wanted the job, that he did not gain from it financially, and that the necessity of being in Doha every month represents an unwelcome restriction on his movements. He implied he had taken the position as a favor to the Amir, and that the purpose of his appointment was to provide a counterweight to Islamist, anti-secular and anti-liberal elements at Al Jazeera. Describing himself as "leftist, secular and liberal", Shammam was sharply critical of the Al Jazeera satellite channel and of its current management. Al Jazeera should nurture an Arab middle class -------------- -- ¶3. (C) When Al Jazeera first appeared on the scene, he had been very excited, said Shammam. In his view, the majority of the Arab world's ills stem from its lack of a substantial middle class and he saw Al Jazeera as a force that would encourage, inspire and nurture an Arab middle class through fostering elevated debate and a genuine exchange of ideas. But the channel has proved disappointing, he said, targeting instead "the street level" and remaining there. "Al Jazeera has never covered one case of corruption in Arab regimes; everything is focused on the US and Israel," said Shammam. AJ's continual emphasis on the roles played in the region by the US and Israel, its focus on war and destruction and its lack of balanced programming create and maintain a depressed emotional atmosphere in the Arab world, which the channel then goes out and covers as if it exists independently of AJ's influence, he said. Al Jazeera's lack of balance -------------- ¶4. (C) What Al Jazeera needs to do in order to play a positive role in the Arab world, he said, is improve its professionalism and present more balanced programming. The imbalance in Al Jazeera's pro-Islamist programming does not only come during interviews themselves, but begins before that with the selection of guests and interviewees, he said. He gave an example of the program called "Without Limits", hosted by the Egyptian presenter Ahmed Mansour (whom he called "my friend"),which has a one-on-one in-depth interview format. Shammam said 70 percent of Mansour's guests are Muslim Brotherhood supporters: "Is that balance?" The new Network -------------- ¶5. (C) Shammam was dismissive of the new entity known as the Al Jazeera Network (reftels). "There is nothing there, no structure," he said. He said the first two or three meetings of the AJN board have been focused on creating a structure for the new body, including deciding which positions would serve as deputies and implementors for AJN Director General (and Managing Director of the Arabic Al Jazeera) Wadah Khanfar. Although he labeled Khanfar as "not my friend, not my enemy", Shammam was sharply critical of Khanfar's management style and Islamist leanings, telling PAO that when Khanfar first came to the helm of the Arabic channel in 2003, he refused to shake hands with women and would not close his office door when alone with a woman, in keeping with Islamist practice. (Note: Khanfar does both now, in Emboffs' experience. End note.) Shammam also said Khanfar is smooth and articulate and comes across as very convincing, but "if you examine the reality, there is no beef there." He said Khanfar's new position requires at least 70 percent managerial skills and 30 percent knowledge of the media, but that Khanfar possesses neither set of skills. All the power at Al Jazeera is concentrated in Khanfar's hands and his deputies Ayman Gaballah and Ahmed Sheikh are "nothing", Shammam said. The view from the palace? -------------- ¶6. (C) Asked about the Amir's view of Al Jazeera, Shammam said (insisting he was voicing his personal opinion "off the record") that Al Jazeera plays an important strategic role in the Amir's calculations, in effect acting as a shield to deflect Arab criticism over the presence of large numbers of U.S. troops in Qatar, and the fact that the US uses Qatar as a staging point for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Although the Amir himself is a believer in reform and democracy, he tolerates Al Jazeera's Islamist leanings and "anti-progressive" programming because they provide him with this cover in the Arab world. On the other hand, said Shammam, the Amir does want to see Al Jazeera as a force for democracy and liberalism, which is part of the reason why Shammam was named to the AJN board. Shammam called Al Jazeera "a dangerous game" for Qatar and said he always tells the Amir that he (the Amir) possesses two weapons of mass impact -- ne destructive (Al Jazeera) and one supremely costuctive (the Amir's wife, Sheikha Mozah). On Al Jazeera International -------------- ¶7. (C) Concerning Al Jazeera International (the English-language channel scheduled now to be launched in early summer),Shammam said it would either be a huge success or a huge flop, and that no one could yet tell which way it will go. He said that in conversations with Al Jazeera International management, he encourages them to move away from their focus on "famous white journalists" and to go for a multicultural, diverse workforce that represents all races and religions and brings "news of the south to the north." Comment -------------- ¶8. (C) Shammam is clearly a seasoned political player with good access to the Amir and his close entourage and as clearly is deeply distrustful of Wadah Khanfar's views and intentions. If he is to be believed, the Amir of Qatar selected him for the position of AJN board member based on his liberal, pro-democracy and pro-reform views, and in order to counter the influence of the Islamist perspective represented by Wadah Khanfar and backed by AJN Board Chairman, Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer. NANTONGO