AL-JAZEERA EXPLAINS LESSENED AL QAEDA COVERAGE

C O N F I D E N T I A L DOHA 000581 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/14/2018 TAGS: PTER KPAO QA SUBJECT: AL-JAZEERA EXPLAINS LESSENED AL QAEDA COVERAGE Classified By: Amb. Joseph LeBaron, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) During an August 12 office call by visiting Senate Foreign Relations Committee Staff Member Perry Cammack, Al-Jazeera Network (AJN) Managing Director Wadah Khanfar said the network still receives tapes from Al Qaeda but doesn't bother airing them or mentioning them because "Usama bin Laden has lost all credibility among Muslims and is no longer the symbol he once was." Khanfar elaborated that Al Qaeda's brutality in Iraq has "destroyed" the organization and its claim to speak for Muslims. ¶2. (C) Comment: AJN's reduced coverage of Al Qaeda may be meant to curry favor with the government of Iraq, as part of its strategy for gaining permission to re-open its bureau in that country. That is something Khanfar has been negotiating hard for with the Iraqis for several months. ¶3. (C) While AJN may have backed off on its coverage of Al Qaeda and associated tapes, the past month has seen a marked increase in its coverage of the Taliban, including interviews with Taliban representatives. Septel will report the results of a separate conversation with Khanfar regarding AJN's renewed interest in the Taliban. ¶3. (U) Mr. Cammack did not have an opportunity to clear this cable. LeBaron