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Ammon News - AMMONNEWS – Banan Malkawi - The Jordanian Government categorically denies allegations made by unnamed sources to the Guardian newspaper that it was behind the jamming of Al Jazeera broadcast of the World Cup, a statement by an official Jordanian government source said on Thursday.

The statement, a copy of which was sent to 'Ammon News,' said that the allegations "are absolutely baseless and unacceptable," also rejecting speculations and opinions expressed by sources in Al Jazeera to the Guardian that the jamming was Jordan's reaction to the collapse of negotiations to buy the terrestrial broadcast rights.

The Guardian newspaper had reported on Wednesday that "secret documents seen exclusively by the Guardian trace five episodes of jamming definitively to a location near as-Salt in Jordan, north-east of the capital, Amman, confirmed by technical teams using geolocation technology."

The Guardian reported that experts say the jamming was unlikely to have been done without the knowledge of the Jordanian authorities since "it was a very sophisticated case." Jamming involves the transmission of radio or TV signals that disrupt the original signal to prevent reception on the ground. It is illegal under international treaties, the Guardian reported.
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Following is the text of a statement by an official government source on allegations made by unnamed sources to the Guardian newspaper about the broadcast of the World Cup 2010 matches:

The Jordanian Government categorically denies allegations made by unnamed sources to the Guardian newspaper that it was behind the jamming of al Jazeera broadcast of the World Cup.

These allegations are absolutely baseless and unacceptable. The Government is ready to cooperate with any team of independent experts to examine the facts, and is certain that any such examination will prove these allegations false.

The Government also rejects the speculation and opinions expressed by sources in Al Jazeera to the Guardian about the reaction of Jordan to the collapse of negotiations to buy the terrestrial broadcast rights.

Jordan had approached al Jazeera with an offer to buy these rights almost four months before the start of the World Cup, but Al Jazeera did not begin to negotiate until a few days before the launch. Four days before the kick off of the matches, al Jazeera made an offer, demanding 8 million dollars for the broadcast rights of 20 games of its choosing, and over 50 thousand dollars for the broadcast on each screen that would have been placed in underprivileged areas. The Government did not accept the offer because it believed it was made too late and the matches offered by al Jazeera did not justify the cost.

The Government respected the confidentiality of these negotiations and did not reveal any details related to them. It maintained its professional relationship with Al Jazeera and its bureau in Amman.

End