Iraqi govt launches broadside against Al Jazeera

BAGHDAD, Feb 7 (Reuters) Iraq's government today accused Al Jazeera television, which it kicked out of the country two years ago, of helping to ''spread death and destruction'' in its reporting.

The cabinet called on parliament to take legal action against the pan-Arab Qatar-based satellite channel that has angered the Shi'ite-led government with its Iraq coverage.

''Al Jazeera continues to have a publicly shameless stand against the Iraqi people and to contribute in spreading death and destruction in Iraq,'' the cabinet said.

Al Jazeera said the statement was ''unjustified, baseless and ridiculous''. ''What did we do, nothing?'' said Ahmed Sheikh, the editor-in-chief of Al Jazeera's Arabic service.

''The Iraqi government is looking for a scapegoat to justify their failure in bringing security and stability to Iraqis.'' The government banned Jazeera from reporting in Iraq two years ago, although its new English-language service has a presence in Baghdad and it continues to broadcast from the northern autonomous region of Kurdistan.

The government accuses Jazeera of fomenting sectarianism among its divided majority Shi'ite and minority Sunni sects, whose mutual mistrust exploded into violence following the bombing of a revered Shi'ite mosque in February 2006.

''Al Jazeera broadcasts programmes that try to create a state of confusion, distort facts and distract the international public opinion from the disastrous crimes committed by gangs,'' the statement said.

''We call on parliament to take a strict and clear attitude towards this channel and use the legal methods to sue it and deter it from its hostility to the aspirations and ambitions of the Iraqi people and the national government.'' NO REASON It gave no reason for the new criticism, but one official in the ruling Shi'ite alliance said a talk show was broadcast yesterday that criticised the government and Shi'ite parties.

The government has shown itself sensitive to criticism in the past and has also clamped down on media outlets it says are inciting sectarianism or violence. Most locally based channels are controlled by political parties or religious factions.

In January, it ordered the closure of Sharkiya, a popular Iraqi channel based in Dubai, and in November two local channels were briefly taken off air. It also forced Jazeera's main rival, Al-Arabiya, to shut its Baghdad bureau for a month in September.

''The Iraqi government is very sensitive about anyone highlighting the negatives in the country,'' said Dubai-based Iraq analyst Mustafa Alani. ''They particularly don't like someone like Al Jazeera highlighting issues of militias, corruption and all the other problems. Jazeera has a real influence over Arab public opinion.'' Alani said Jazeera had run into trouble with other Middle Eastern governments. ''I don't think they are picking on the Iraq government to undermine their credibility,'' he said.

REUTERS AB RK1931