Wednesday, February 2, 2011

WikiLeaks: Qatar uses Al Jazeera to shatter stability in Egypt


The below is a translation of an article which was published in Egypt's 'El Youm Al Sabea'. This is not my personal opinion, but a direct translation of what has been previously published and announced. The article has also been published in the Guardian and the Daily Telegraph:

Article translation:

Sources revealed that WikiLeaks announced that a confidential meeting has been held between Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim, Minister of Foreign Affairs and an Israeli official. During the meeting, Sheikh Jassim revealed that Doha is adopting a plan to drastically shatter Egypt’s stability. He indicated that Al Jazeera TV will play a pivotal role to execute this plan, by manipulating the people of Egypt to create a state of chaos.

The sources indicated that Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim described Egypt as the 'doctor' who has one patient whose sickness must continue. Al Jassim also confirmed that the ‘sick patient’ is the Palestinian cause. He pointed out that Egypt wants to keep the Palestinian cause unresolved, just so Egypt does not remain case-less, without a pressing issue to put the hands of the leaders of the Arab region. Al Jassim’s government utilized Al Jazeera TV - broadcast channel owned by Qatar to trigger and create a state of chaos. 

WikiLeaks indicated that they have total of seven credible and verified documents about the State of Qatar, five of which were published. The organization kept two documents undisclosed after the State of Qatar had negotiated with the website’s administrators; who requested large amounts of money in return for not disclosing these documents - due to the critical information they carry about meetings between Qatari officials with Israeli’s and Americans; all of which were centered around inciting both parties against Egypt. 

Despite the fact that the website committed to secrecy, the documents were reportedly leaked to a number of media outlets; primarily to The Guardian – which published all of the content on their websites and included an analysis from the US Embassy on Al Jazeera TV’s tone and strategy in relation to Qatar’s political standpoint. 

The document #432 which was dated in July 2009 outlined notes from a 50 minute a meeting between Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim and Al Jazeera TV. Al Jassim shed light on the Qatari political relations, the Palestinian dispute and the peace operations. He spared no efforts to directly attack Egypt and its political regime. The US Ambassador analyzed the meeting and indicated that Al Jazeera TV is a tool used by Qataris to serve their needs on the expense of others. 

The second document #677 dated in November 2009 included a comprehensive evaluation put forward by the US embassy about all matters related to Qatar. The document also included a section which analyses the role Al Jazeera TV plays as part of the Qatari political system. The embassy also provided an analysis of the channel’s content and tone after the appointment of Obama as president of the US. 

When analyzing Al Jazeera’s coverage, the document highlighted that the station started to carry a more positive tone/sentiment towards the US, while reiterating that the station continues to play a major role in the state’s political affairs. 

The document also stated that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, a number of officials from Israel and the US indicated that the minute the people of Egypt decide to walk out and protest, Al Jazeera will make sure to maintain ongoing and extensive reporting to provoke and ignite sedition among people in the streets and not just between the people and the current standing regime. 

The documents also indicated that the Qatari regime regularly uses the station to settle dues with other countries. This has worked effectively with a number of neighboring Arab countries and has succeeded to spark differences, infuriate opinions and ignite sedition among people in Arab nations. Al Jazeera is also one of the most important mediums sought by people for being a ‘credible’ source of news in the MENA region.

To view the article from Al Youm Al Sabe'a, Please click here

No comments:

Post a Comment