U.S. and Iraqi troops chased Al Zawraa television's staff out of Iraq last year, and this year Washington pressured the Egyptians and Europeans to stop bouncing the station's signal from their satellites. But despite pleas from Washington, the Saudi government has declined to use its influence as a major stakeholder in the satellite company Arabsat to stop the transmissions, U.S. officials say.
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The station — sometimes called "Muj TV," a shorthand for mujahedin — was launched in 2005 by Mishaan Jaburi, a former member of Iraq's parliament. Jaburi fled to Syria late last year amid charges that he had embezzled millions of dollars from the Iraqi government.
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The Saudis have an additional reason to support the station:
Al Zawraa shares the Saudi goal of persuading Iraq's Sunni Arabs to turn against Al Qaeda.
The Islamic Army in Iraq, the largest Sunni Muslim insurgency group and the one Al Zawraa speaks for, had been aligned with the group Al Qaeda in Iraq. But this year the two organizations split, and Al Zawraa began accusing Al Qaeda of attacking members of the Islamic Army in Iraq, failing to protect Iraqi civilians and provoking fights with foreign countries that could lead to attacks on Iraq.
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The U.S. official said there was a range of opinion about the Saudis within the Bush administration and that many officials found their actions "annoying or irritating." Nonetheless, he said, many also believed that "they've been more helpful than not."
One of the Saudis' most important contributions, the U.S. official said, has been to work with other Sunni regimes on driving a wedge between Iraq's Sunnis and Al Qaeda.
The U.S. official also said the Saudis were effectively competing against the Iranians in the uniquely Mideastern arena of "personalities, money and byzantine backroom deals."
"They're skilled at it; we're clumsy," he said ...
Why is Egypt Airing Insurgent TV from Iraq?
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