WASHINGTON - The tiny state of Qatar is a crucial American ally in the Persian Gulf, where it provides a military base and warm support for American policies. Yet relations with Qatar are also strained over an awkward issue: Qatar's sponsorship of Al Jazeera, the provocative television station that is a big source of news in the Arab world.
Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and other Bush administration officials have complained heatedly to Qatari leaders that Al Jazeera's broadcasts have been inflammatory, misleading and occasionally false, especially on Iraq.
The pressure has been so intense, a senior Qatari official said, that the government is accelerating plans to put Al Jazeera on the market, though Bush administration officials counter that a privately owned station in the region may be no better from their point of view.
"We have recently added new members to the Al Jazeera editorial board, and one of their tasks is to explore the best way to sell it," said the Qatari official, who said he could be more candid about the situation if he was not identified. "We really have a headache, not just from the United States but from advertisers and from other countries as well." Asked if the sale might dilute Al Jazeera's content, the official said, "I hope not."
Arab news channel Al Jazeera announced Saturday that it plans to open an English-language channel called Al Jazeera International at the beginning of 2006. The project fits in with the robust growth and in-your-face style of the original channel, but faces significant challenges in the new markets.

Al Jazeera's confrontational approach to news has earned it enemies in every government in the Middle East. Its independence has caused the Iranian government to close its Tehran bureau for covering ethnic riots near the border with Iraq.

Al Jazeera has also earned the enmity of Washington D.C., where the Bush administration regularly complains about their coverage. Al Jazeera offices were also hit by U.S. weapons in Kabul, Afghanistan, and Baghdad, Iraq, although the U.S. military insists they were accidental targets.

The biggest issue for Al Jazeera is a lack of distribution. All major news services in North America, a prime market for the English language channel, struggle to gain and maintain distribution.

The new channel has named its management team:
* Nigel Parsons is to head operations at the company's Doha headquarters
* Sue Philips, a former employee of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, is to be in charge of the European coverage from Al Jazeera's London office
* Trish Carter, formerly of Television New Zealand is to head the Asian desk in Kuala Lumpur
* And Will Stebbins, formerly with Associated Press Television News, is to head the North American operations.

Al Jazeera has been expanding in other markets as well.  It opened a channel last month which covers news events without a presenter or commentary. It also have a sports channel and plans for a children's channel.