NileSat, one of the largest satellite operators in the Arab world, stopped carrying the Iraqi station A-Zawra last Thursday, the London-based daily A-Sharq Al-Awsat reported. NileSat officials explained the move was necessary because of technical problems, but A-Zawra insisted this was a political decision which derived from American pressure.
The Media Line’s Middle East bureau indicates that ARABSAT, another Arabic satellite operator, has also put A-Zawra off air, although no statement has yet been made by its officials. So far, ARABSAT has not provided The Media Line with a reason for this move.
A-Zawra began broadcasting on November 14, 2006. The station shows graphic footage of attacks against American and Iraqi soldiers in Iraq. The attacks are carried out by Muslim Sunni organizations, which call on the American occupation to leave Iraq.
The station is owned by an Iraqi member of parliament, A-Sharq Al-Awsat reported. The owner, Mish’an Al-Jabouri, told the paper that the move came "following American pressures on the government of Egypt."
"U.S. Foreign Minister Condoleezza Rice discussed the issue of closing A-Zawra channel with top Egyptian officials and pressured them to stop the channel’s broadcasts," added Al-Jabouri.
Al-Jabouri is being sought by the Iraqi government and is currently living in Syria. He said the station is explaining how the Iraqi fighters are winning over the "American war machine." The station’s studios have been shut down twice, and are now located in a secret location "in the resistance regions in western Iraq," Al-Jabouri said.