“Al- Rai” general manager to Echououk: The US pressured Hosni Mubarek to close our channel

Mouchaane Al Djebbouri , the head of the Arab satellite channel “ Al- Rai”, that broadcast the messages of the Libyan ousted leader Moammar Al Queddafi and his sons recently, has denied allegations that the beleaguered leader and the Syrian president Bechar al Assad are supporters of his channel.

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• He has asserted that the ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarek has closed “ Azouraa” channel under pressure of the US , declining any acquaintance with the US intelligence chief. He has also dwelt on his close relationship with the late Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.

• Echourok:  Let’s start with “ Al Moukaouama channel”  ( English for resistance), that hit the headlines with the airing of Al Qaddafi’s messages, why this slogan?

• Al –Djebbouri:  “Al-Rai” channel is a spin-off from the Iraqi resistance channel “ Azouraa” , it’s the voice of the Arab resistance  and the first one that used the terms “militants” and “martyrs” instead of “killed” and “armed” like the other channels, the modern media are shedding the notion of resistance and we feel proud because we are still fighting and defending the freedom fighters across the Arab world. These notions are not strange to the Algerian people on account of their glorious revolutionary past.

• Echourok:  Why did Queddafi resort to “ Al-Rai” to spread his message while he had the choice to do it through various other channels?

• Al –Djebbouri: First of all, let just tell you that terminology of “resorting”’ to the channel is a Jewish invention and you are just repeating it; secondly, our channel stood by the Libyan people at the beginning but when the protesters started spreading allegations that Al Queddafi was perpetrating genocide and called for the NATO intervention turning Al Queddafi to militant who was fighting for the freedom of his country, the channel biased to him. We support the Libyan people’s demands but we are against the crusades led by the French, US, Qataris and Emirates.

• Echourok: Some of your close acquaintances have asserted that Al -Queddafi has offered the channel $ 25 million last year and others mentioned the existence of evidence on the issue?

• Al –Djebbouri: Al Queddafi is not that generous and these are pure allegations to smear our reputation; as to those who possess evidence I defy them to present anything tangible. By contrast, the NTC has dispatched a Syrian businessman to sway us to stop airing Al – Queddafi’s messages with money in return. Our response was unequivocal, what would be our message to our families and history, how can we pacify the NATO that supported Benghazi gang… It’s true that Al Queddafi has, at  a certain period of time, supported  “ Azouraa” channel but he threatened the Syrian authorities to blow up “ Al-Rai” because it has dealt with him over various issues.. He asked Bechar Al Assad to close the channel.

• Echourok: Did he contact you personally?

• Al –Djebbouri: This is not the core of the issue, what matters for us is that we are proud to contact them as freedom fighters not necessarily Al Queddafi and his sons. We are the voice of those who fight against the mercenaries.  

• Echourok: Do you intend to open an office in Algeria?

• Al –Djebbouri: Actually, we are really thinking about it, I would like to seize this opportunity to call on the Algerian authorities to facilitate us the task. 

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