JEDDAH, 28 May 2003 — In a devastating blow to its reputation, Al-Jazeera said yesterday that its general director has been sacked after allegations were made that he worked with Saddam Hussein’s intelligence services. Mohammed Jassem Al-Ali visited Iraq before the US-led war, meeting Saddam during an hour-long interview.
Both Al-Jazeera and Ali were afterward accused by the Western media of collaborating with the former regime in Baghdad.
Ali had held the top job at the Doha-based station since it launched the Arabic-language channel in 1996.
Ahmed Chalabi, leader of the American-backed Iraqi National Congress, has accused several Al-Jazeera journalists of working for Iraqi agencies based on documents found in state archives in Baghdad.
An Al-Jazeera spokesman refused to comment on the dismissal when contacted by Arab News last night.
Washington and London blasted Al-Jazeera after the network carried footage from Iraqi television of dead coalition soldiers and prisoners of war, as well as repeated images of Iraqi civilians badly wounded in airstrikes.
