November 4, 2002	Monday	Sha’aban 28,1423

KUWAIT CITY, Nov 3: Kuwait’s Ministry of Information on Sunday announced it would close down the al-Jazeera satellite television news bureau, accusing the Qatar-based news organization of biased reporting.

Saad al-Anizi, al-Jazeera bureau chief in Kuwait, said the closure notice came without warning. “They gave us no specifics. Only that there was a problem with the objectivity of reports coming out of al- Jazeera in general,” he said.

The news organization has developed a devoted following in the Arabic-speaking world. Al-Jazeera has been able to score exclusives relating to the Al Qaeda terrorist movement, including obtaining videos and audio tapes believed to contain messages from group leader Osama bin Laden.—dpa