Via Abu Aardvark, I see that the U.S. is pressuring Qatar to clamp down on Al-Jazeera. Al-Jazeera is based in Qatar and regularly enrages governments throughout the region. The U.S. has recently accused the station of varying degrees of complicity in the violence in Iraq. Here is the charming Mr. Powell, promoting democracy in that inimitable Bush administration style:
“The friendship between our two nations is such that we can also talk about difficult issues that intrude in that relationship, such as the issue of the coverage of al-Jazeera,” Powell told reporters after a meeting with Qatari Deputy Prime Minister Shaykh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabir al-Thani. “And we had candid discussions about that.”Powell said the two sides were having “very intense discussions” on the issue, adding: “those discussions will continue over the next couple of days.”
I’m jealous of the Qataris. I would love to have an intense discussion with Mr. Powell, myself.
No word yet on whether Qatar is pressuring the U.S. to clamp down on Fox News.
You know, unless this is some really clever reverse-psychology kung-fu to bolster independent reporting in the Middle East, I’m going to have to agree with the Aardvark about the wisdom of the move.
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