Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari issued on Wednesday a strong message to Qatar’s al-Jazeera satellite television, demanding that it “rectify its errors.”
He said that the television station sows sedition and it has committed a “historic error” in this regard.
He made his remarks during a joint press conference with his Qatari counterpart Mohammed Al Thani in Doha.
Replying to a question from a al-Jazeera reporter, Jaafari added: “The station has sowed sedition for sectarian or ethnic purposes.”
He called on it to open a new chapter in its reporting.
Addressing the al-Jazeera reporter, the minister continued: “I hope that it corrects its historic error and when it does, it will receive all of my respect, appreciation and support.”
“We hope that you will alter this position against Iraq and in turn, you will find an alternate stance from us,” he went on to say to the reporter.
This is not the first time that criticism has been directed against al-Jazeera for promoting sectarianism.
The four countries of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, which have been boycotting Qatar since June, have also made similar accusations.
They have demanded that Qatar shut down the station and its affiliates that are spreading hate rhetoric as one of the conditions for them to end their diplomatic and economic boycott of Doha.
