JEDDAH, 21 June 2004 — CNN is to broadcast a special focus on Iraq entitled “Countdown to Handover: The Arab Pulse,” today at 8 p.m. Filming for the Middle East segment of the show took place on June 15 at Dubai Media City, according to a press statement.
The broadcaster’s anchor Jim Clancy led the Dubai end of the discussion with a panel of the region’s leading commentators. The result is a 40-minute special with a panel of outspoken guests including Mohammad Al-Douri, the former Iraqi ambassador to the UN, and media commentators like Al-Arabiya’s Muhammad Khateeb, Imad Edin Adeeb from Orbit, Jamil Azar from Al-Jazeera, Shada Amr from LBC, Fares Khouri from MBC.
Rami Khouri of the Daily Star in Lebanon and Samia Nakhoul from Reuters joined them to express a range of controversial views.
CNN recorded the show in front of an invited studio audience, and its take on the handover is slated to attract attention worldwide as part of special CNN programming which includes other panels hosted by Richard Quest on the European perspective from London and Jonathan Mann presenting the US outlook from Atlanta.
