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Sunday, May 16, 1999 Published at 04:35 GMT 05:35 UK
World: Middle East
Iraqi paper goes online
On the net: The Al-Zawra newspaper logo
The weekly newspaper owned by the eldest son of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is launching an Internet site.
A statement from the Al-Zawra newspaper said the move was an attempt to open a breach in the wall of the "media embargo" imposed on Iraq.
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| Amman Correspondent Richard Downes: "Iraqi media is tightly controlled" |
It is the first Iraqi newspaper to get a presence on the web. Iraq itself does not have an official web address.
The launch coincides with Al-Zawra's 100th edition.
Only the front page has content at the moment. It carries a large picture of President Saddam Hussein, with a message wishing him a happy 62nd birthday.
His powerful son Uday Hussein, who runs the Al-Zawra newspaper, also controls a number of other key publications in Iraq.
Al-Zawra follows the official Iraqi News Agency, which launched a site at the end of April, onto the net.
BBC Amman Correspondent Richard Downes says the Website designers have avoided anything controversial, at least in the first issue.
He says those close to power in Iraq want to see sanctions lifted and that the Website launch may prove to be one of the least provocative attempts to draw attention to Iraq's plight.
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