Unfriendly Views On U.S.-Backed Arabic TV

WASHINGTON, May 16 — Toward the end of a Congressional hearing on Wednesday on American efforts to win more popular support in the Arab world, Representative Gary L. Ackerman, Democrat of New York, got sidetracked.

Mr. Ackerman was in the middle of chastising representatives from the United States-financed Middle East television channel Al Hurra for broadcasting the views of leaders of the militant Islamist groups Hamas and Hezbollah. But when a Hurra executive mentioned in the stations defense that it broadcasts uncut, live versions of President Bushs speeches, Mr. Ackerman interrupted.

You carry President Bush live? he asked. Then, incredulously, Hopefully we find this helpful to the mission?

There was laughter throughout the committee room, but the exchange highlighted the central quandary surrounding American public diplomacy efforts.

In recent weeks both conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats have attacked Al Hurra for, in the words of The Wall Street Journals editorial page last week, providing friendly coverage of camera-ready extremists from Al Qaeda, Hamas and other terrorist groups.

In particular, critics of the network, which was founded in 2003 as an Arabic-language, American-financed counter to Al Jazeera, are particularly annoyed that the network broadcast a 30-minute speech by the Hezbollah leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, in December.

Mr. Ackerman also complained during the hearing that the network gave extensive coverage to Irans conference in December on denying the Holocaust and, more recently, showed Ismail Haniya, the Palestinian prime minister (and Hamas leader), discussing the faltering Palestinian unity government.

How does it happen that terrorists take over? Is there no supervision? Mr. Ackerman asked.

But there was also tacit acknowledgment, even from Republican critics of Al Hurra, that blaming the network might be a little like shooting the messenger. The State Department has devoted many resources lately to public diplomacy, including taking Muslim students to the World Cup games in Germany, serving as host for Arab journalists at training seminars in Washington, and dispatching the under secretary of state for public diplomacy, Karen Hughes, to talk to Muslim women around the world.

But those efforts do little to counter the rising anger among Arabs over the American role in Iraq and the Bush administrations refusal to shut down the military prison at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba.

One witness before this subcommittee last week argued that, Quote, Its the policy, stupid, close quote, acknowledged Representative Mike Pence, Republican of Indiana, although, he added, Im not one who believes we should significantly reorder our policy toward the Middle East.

For decades, the United States has provided funds for radio and television stations dedicated to promoting American values and views. During the cold war, Radio Free Europe sought to counter the state-controlled Soviet media by broadcasting pro-American views.

The first President George Bush created TV Martí, to beam American programming into Fidel Castros Cuba, though Mr. Castro managed to jam it for years so people in Cuba could not actually see it.

Al Hurra was supposed to follow that tradition. But the stations executives admitted Wednesday that they could not be completely sure that Al Hurra was doing so, because none of the top executives speak Arabic.

How do you know that theyre being true to the mission if you dont know whats being said? Mr. Ackerman demanded.

Joaquin F. Blaya, a Hurra executive, testified that network officials made sure to question the Arabic-speaking staff about what went on the air. Mr. Blaya and State Department officials acknowledged that the speech by the Hezbollah leader, Sheik Nasrallah, violated the networks policy not to give a platform to those whom Washington considers to be terrorists.

But Mr. Blaya also contended in an interview on Wednesday that Al Hurra would lose all credibility if it did not give air time to people who disagree with American policy. He said that complaints about air time for Mr. Haniya were unjustified because he legitimately holds the post of Palestinian prime minister.

Mr. Blaya also said it was ironic that the government was seeking to promote American values like democracy and a free press while at the same time trying to censure what is shown in the station.

Thats the difference between a free media and propaganda, he said.

He said during the hearing that Al Hurra had appointed a new vice president for news, Larry Register, to make sure the mistakes did not happen again. But he admitted that Mr. Register did not speak Arabic either.

State Department officials acknowledged that the lack of Arabic speakers remained a major failing of American public diplomacy efforts in the Middle East.

Gretchen Welch, the director of policy, planning and resources in the State Departments public diplomacy department, said part of the problem was that the standard source of Arabic language instruction is two years, while the departments hardship postings, a label applied to many in the Middle East, last only one year.

To meet the need, she said, the State Department is putting people into language training who would otherwise be filling overseas posts, and those posts are going empty. It is absolutely a priority, she said.

But Representative David Scott, Democrat of Georgia, expounded on the problem of trying to promote America in the Arab world. It begs the question, then, in spite of all the myriad programs that the State Department has initiated to win over foreign peoples, why does the world — the Muslim world in particular — continue to hate us so? he said.

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