Add Category
Posted
Gulf states are targeting the Doha-based Al Jazeera media network as part of their stand-off with Qatar.
Key points:
- Al Jazeera has strong ties with Qatar, resulting in it being targeted by Gulf states
- Greste says he saw no ties between Al Jazeera and terrorist groups
- He said Qatar did use Al Jazeera to put pressure on neighbouring states
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain blocked access to the Arabic satellite news channel and affiliated websites two weeks ago.
The broadcaster's Riyadh and Amman offices have been closed down.
Al Jazeera says it has also been enduring a string of cyberattacks.
Former jailed Al Jazeera journalist Peter Greste says it's a dangerous time for the network's staff.
While working for Al Jazeera Mr Greste spent 400 days in an Egyptian jail charged with terrorism-related offences.
"Anybody that's associated with Qatar is vulnerable to arrest, is vulnerable to be accused of having links to terrorism," he said.
"The authorities in those Gulf states are drawing a pretty long bow.
"They're assuming that Qatar is sponsoring terrorism and therefore anybody who has anything to do with Qatar or its institutions is also, by definition, involved with acts of terrorism."
Links between Qatar and Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera's chairman is a member of Qatar's ruling Al Thani family.
The channel was launched with the financial backing of the country's former ruling emir.
It remains state-owned.
Greste says the Qataris have long wanted to play a significant role in the region.
"They've wanted to punch above their weight in terms of foreign policy," he said.
"They've used their wealth, they've used their influence, they've used institutions like Al Jazeera to really put pressure on a lot of those neighbouring states.
"The Qataris have always said they've only got good intentions but a lot of the neighbouring states — including places like Egypt and Saudi Arabia — have long accused Qatar of interfering in their internal affairs."
Al Jazeera operates both English and Arabic TV news channels and websites.
Greste said the Gulf states were using every tool they had to apply pressure on the Qataris.
"And Al Jazeera is one of the tools they've been using to do that," he said.
Greste said as far as he and his colleagues were aware of, there was no connection between Al Jazeera and terrorist organisations, "much less the Muslim Brotherhood."
"There may be some truth in that at a higher level, a management level, but it was something we were never aware of, we never saw," he said.
"I think the authorities are desperately trying to put the screws on Al Jazeera."
'There's a real risk of open confrontation'
As the rift between Qatar and Gulf states deepens, Greste said there was a chance the situation could deteriorate further.
"There is a risk that open confrontation could emerge out of this," he said.
"The divisions between the regions are far more serious than anything we've seen in the past 30, 40 years.
"I don't think any of the states necessarily want or plan an open war… I would like to think that it doesn't end that way… but that is a prospect."
Greste said there was a 'real chance' the coming weeks or months could bring a tense period in the region.
And he said that could be driven as Qatar becomes further isolated and continues have pressure placed on it, including economic pressures.
"I think that there is a good chance that we will see some kind of mediation to try and ease the tension in the region," he said.
Turkey has been touted as a potential mediator between Qatar and the other states.
But Qatar has continued to stand its ground, foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani declaring the country would not surrender in the face of mounting sanctions.
Al Jazeera's coverage 'has been biased'
While Al Jazeera has stated that it was 'not partisan to any ideology, group or government', Greste said the network's Arabic political coverage was problematic.
"It seems pretty clear from watching some of Al Jazeera's Arabic coverage and the coverage of Al Jazeera's Egyptian channel Mubasher [Misr] that there was a bias in favour of the Muslim Brotherhood," he said.
"Politically they seemed quite aligned with the Brotherhood," he said.
"Remember we spent 400 days in prison because of that political tension, because of that pressure.
"And that was a tough thing to have to go through and it's something that the network has really never fully acknowledged."
Greste said he was now seeking compensation from Al Jazeera for his ordeal.
"We haven't received any compensation at all," he said.
"What frustrates us is the fact that Al Jazeera is suing Egypt for $150 million as compensation for what the staff, what we went through, and yet it hasn't seen fit to give us anything."
Topics: foreign-affairs, government-and-politics, world-politics, broadcasting, information-and-communication, unrest-conflict-and-war, qatar