The Iraqi government has decided to close the Baghdad offices of the pan-Arab television station Al-Jazeera for 30 days, the government announced Saturday.
Al-Jazeera was not given a reason for the closure, said Jihad Ballout, the network's spokesman.
"It is a regrettable decision, but Al-Jazeera will endeavor to cover the situation in Iraq (news - web sites) as best as we can within the constraints," he said, according to The AP.
Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's spokesman Georges Sada confirmed the one-month closure, but did not elaborate.
During a July 25 interview with Al-Jazeera in Moscow, interim Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari described the network's coverage as "one-sided," and also condemned the reporting of several other Arab stations. (Albawaba.com)
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
