Qatar, under intense American pressure, is exploring ways to sell the controversial Al Jazeera television, according to a report in the New York Times.
"We have recently added new members to the Al Jazeera editorial board, and one of their tasks is to explore the best way to sell it," an Qatari official, who said he could be more candid about the situation if he was not identified, told the NYT.
"We really have a headache, not just from the United States but from advertisers and from other countries as well." Asked if the sale might dilute Al Jazeera's content, the official said, "I hope not."
The report said that relations between Qatar and the United States are strained over Al Jazeera.
The pressure has been so intense, the Qatari official said, that the government is accelerating plans to put Al Jazeera on the market, though Bush administration officials counter that a privately-owned station in the region may be no better from their point of view.
US Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former Secretary of State Colin L Powell and other Bush administration officials have complained heatedly to Qatari leaders that Al Jazeera's broadcasts have been 'inflammatory, misleading and occasionally false, especially on Iraq,' the NYT said.
Estimates of Al Jazeera's audience range from 30-50 million, putting it well ahead of its competitors. But that success does not translate into profitability, and the station relies on a big subsidy from the Qatari government, which in the past has explored ways to sell it. The official said Qatar hoped to find a buyer within a year.
Its coverage has disturbed not only Washington, but also Arab governments from Egypt to Saudi Arabia. With such a big audience, but a lack of profitability, it is not clear who might be in the pool of potential buyers or how a new owner might change the editorial content, said NYT.
Among the broadcasts criticized by the United States were repeated showings of taped messages by Osama bin Laden, and, more specifically, the reporting early last year, before Al Jazeera was kicked out of Iraq, of journalist Ahmed Mansour that emphasized civilian casualties during an assault on Falluja. The network also reports passionately about the Palestinian conflict, the report said.
