London, Asharq Al-Awsat- Mishan al-Juburi is an Iraqi businessman living in Damascus and owner of ” Al-Rai” television station, which has broadcasted the speeches of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and his son Saif-al-Islam. He revealed to Asharq al-Awsat that the channel “Al-Muqawamah”, which recently broadcast Gaddafi’s speech, is a mobile station located in an “OB [outside broadcast] van”. The vehicle moves from one place to another “so that no one can seize it”, and al-Juburi pointed out that “we in (Al-Rai) channel trained the cadres operating this service.”
Al-Juburi told Asharq Al-Awsat by telephone from Damascus yesterday that “(Al-Muqawamah) channel is based in a vehicle fitted with satellite transmission equipment, called an OB van, and is transmitting at present from Tripoli. However, it might move on to other Libyan cities.” He added: “We trained the Libyan youths working in it and I was the one who proposed to them to buy this vehicle from Lebanon, benefiting from our expertise with (Al-Zawra) channel, which the Iraqi resistance used to broadcast its satellite statements and programs, and which made it impossible for the American forces to discover it. It broadcasted in Iraq despite the satellites and sophisticated intelligence equipment there.” He added that it was stopped only by a political decision from former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who ordered the cessation of satellite transmission on (Nilesat).
Al-Juburi commented on the contents of a document issued from the relations office (embassy) of Libya in Damascus, which said that “the amount of $60,000 was spent on employees of (Al-Rai) satellite channel as salaries for two months.” The document also pointed to the “arrival in Syria of Brother Ali al-Kilani, the secretary general of the general authority of the Great Jamahiriyah radio stations”, adding that “this issue was discussed with him. He promised to channel the employees’ salaries and the channel’s expenditures through students’ salaries, or in some other way.” Al-Juburi responded in comment: “It is naïve to think that the expenditures of a satellite channel like Al-Rai comes to $30,000 a month. We are paying more $100,000 for the satellite transmission, and the same figure in salaries.” But he added: “We trained Libyan youths here at Al-Rai channel in Damascus to use the broadcast vehicle. I also met here with Brother Ali al-Kilani and proposed to him to buy the (OB van) from Lebanon. He bought it less than two months ago.” He pointed out that the “issue of salaries to which the document refers is probably, and most likely, the salaries of the Libyan youths trained in our channel.”
Al-Juburi went on to assert that “brother Gaddafi’s speech was broadcast recently from Libya directly on the (Al-Muqawamah) channel. The transmission technology in this vehicle does not need a studio or sophisticated equipment. The recording is transmitted immediately as soon as it is received, or via telephone contact. This channel will broadcast all the Libyan resistance’s speeches and programs.” He pointed out that “Al-Muqawamah channel transmits on (Nilesat), and I do not know if the transmission is carried out from a house, a tent, a desert, or the centre of Tripoli, but I know that it is difficult to detect.”
Commenting on claims that he had received $10 million from Saif-al-Islam Gaddafi in return for media services he rendered to his family, Al-Juburi said: “I am much honoured that Saif-al-Islam has been my friend since 2006. I have met him several times. Today I am proud of him as a resistance fighter and not a Libyan official. I have not received any money from him or from the Libyan Embassy in Damascus, whose address I do not know.” He revealed that “Gaddafi supported the Iraqi resistance financially since 2006 and until very recently. I was the one who assessed the resistance factions that deserved support, but I did not handle any funds even though he (Gaddafi) has asked me to do this.”
It is noteworthy that al-Juburi recently disclosed to Asharq al-Awsat the intention to launch “Al-Muqawamah” channel.