Al Jazeera supports stability in Algeria: Director General to Echorouk

Qatari TV channel Al Jazeera supports the Arab nations and the national causes including Algeria in pride in their revolutions and fighting, according to the Director General of the network.

• “Al Jazeera has not and will never have the intention to under-estimate neither Algeria’s nor any other Arab country’s sovereignty,” Wadah Khanfar told Echorouk in a first interview to the press since the war on Gaza.
• He said Algeria has not replied to Al Jazeera’s accreditation demand to open an office. “So far, we have not received any official reply from Algerian authorities and we hope to have positive results.”
• Previously, Algerian communication minister Abderrachid Boukerzaza said Al Jazeera had not submitted any accreditation demand to Algeria.
• Khanfar said Al Jazeera had submitted demands via the Algerian embassy in Doha. “After the Algerian minister’s remarks, we submitted an official demand directly to the minister.”
• He also said the channel did its best to cover the protests in Algeria in support of the Palestinians during the war on Gaza.
• “Unfortunately, the fact that there is no office for Al Jazeera in the country worsens the problem for us.”
• “In the countries where Al Jazeera has offices, protests and political activities in support of Gaza were live covered.”
• If its accreditation demand is accepted, Al Jazeera plans to implement the same procedures undertaken in all the Arab World.
• Speaking on potential coverage of Algeria’s presidential elections set for April 9, Khanfar said Al Jazeera usually give the opportunity to candidates and political powers to express their opinions.
• Asked whether the channel would choose Algeria to host its Arab Maghreb and North Africa Bureau, Khanfar said there were a set of logistic and political conditions necessary for any foreign bureau.
• “We hope to be progressively present in Algeria to cover its events and deal with its reality.”
• He said his institution staff comes from 22 Arab nations. “All those belong to the Arab World. “So, it is unreasonable to think that we plan to destabilise Algeria or any other country.”
• “If you see Al Jazeera broadcast, you will realize that it supports dialogue and reconciliation. It has no intention to affect the safety of Algeria nor did it plan to be part of a conspiracy against someone else in the Arab region.”
• It is believed that Morocco and the Polisario Front have fears about the media coverage of Al Jazeera.
• According to its Director General, the channel has no policy in the Western Sahara issue with a faction against the other. “We are a media institution reporting the reality and we do not adopt any special policy toward any issue,” he said.
• Al Jazeera broadcast of Al-Qaeda’s video tapes has sparked anger in Algeria while Khanfar says the audience has the right to know about the video tapes as part of news reports.
• “We are broadcasting that news (video tapes) far from any kind of propaganda or mobilisation.”
• He added that those groups constitute a part of security reality in the Arab and Muslim world. “It is correct to provoke controversy around them.”
• Speaking on the war on Gaza, Khanfar said Al Jazeera was very professional in covering the crisis. “We did a great job and it is proven through the respect of the audience toward Al Jazeera’s role in covering Gaza attacks and many other issues in the region.”
• Khanfar told Echorouk Al Jazeera International has a different audience from that of the Arab channel. “We can not expect that Al Jazeera International will be similar to the Arab one but something sure is that the methodology is one.”
• Speaking on Algerians working for Al Jazeera, he said they enjoy important political awareness and courage in field. “They proved their competence in Iraq, Palestine and Afghanistan. Personally, my experience with the Algerian colleagues was very magnificent.”