January 18, 2002	Friday	Ziqa'ad 3, 1422

BEIRUT, Jan 17: Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz has vented his fury against Qatar’s Al-Jazeera satellite TV in front of fellow leaders of the Gulf Arab monarchies, a Lebanese newspaper reported on Thursday.

He accused Al-Jazeera of “discrediting the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, harming its members’ royal families, threatening stability in the Arab world and encouraging terrorism,” Al-Anwar said without giving sources.

It said the crown prince launched his scathing attack in the presence of Qatar’s amir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, at a summit of the six-nation GCC held in Muscat at the end of December.

He focused the attack on Al Jazeera’s coverage of the arrest of a Saudi princess in the United States for alleged “enslavement” of an Indonesian maid, saying the TV station relied solely on the US media’s version of events.

“This behaviour smacks of a settling of scores in a hateful and insulting manner,” the crown prince told the Qatari amir, who said he was out hunting when the report was broadcast, according to Al-Anwar.

The crown prince also accused Al-Jazeera, which shot to fame with scoops on the Afghan conflict and Osama bin Laden, of serving as “a platform for Al Qaeda organization”.

Al-Anwar said other GCC leaders chimed in and pointed out that Al-Jazeera had run into trouble with several Arab governments, such as Egypt, Syria, Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria.

The amir of Qatar kept an embarrassed silence, according to the Beirut paper.

Al-Jazeera, hugely popular among Arab viewers, has built a reputation as the most cutting-edge and free-thinking news station in a region where state censorship is rife.

Qatar has previously replied to criticism by citing freedom of the press.—AFP