Ammon News - ** The government has obstructed the launch of ATV for over 20 months

AMMONNEWS - Negotiations between the management of the Arab Telemedia Production Group (ATP) and the government regarding the sale of ATV have reached a dead end, informed sources told 'Ammon News.'

Talal Awamleh, CEO of ATP, which owns majority of ATV shares, told 'Ammon News' over the phone that the failure of the negotiations is caused mainly by what he described as 'government stubbornness' and refusal to present ATP with official intent of purchase, despite prior agreements and understandings in this matter.

Awamleh added that negotiations have reached a deadlock considering the government's attempts to pressure stockholders to sell under conditions he described as ‘compliant’ and that violate the conditions of the agreement signed with the government during its initial sale to ATP.

Awamleh said that ATP received a letter last Wednesday from the Chairman of Jordan Television (JTV), Saleh Qallab, demanding unpaid balances owed by ATP, which had been cancelled by the previous government in the context of an agreement signed before the process of ATV's sale had begun.

Awamleh considered this move as 'an unjustified government escalation' at a time that negotiations for the purchase deal should have been underway in accordance with Prime Minister Samir Rifai's directives.

"It seems that the government wants to proceed with negotiations after it practices financial and psychological pressures on us to accept an unfair sale agreement," Awamleh said, expressing that the Prime Minister understands the situation but “the government negotiations' team has not comprehended [the Prime Minister's] directives, causing us to respond to questions from the press in full transparency and clarity.”

Awamleh said that he will refuse to negotiate with the government if it proceeded from 'a conviction that it is an authority and has many mechanisms to force us to sell... according to a formula that would put us at a loss and lead us into an embarrassing financial situation that is unacceptable by logic, the law, the king, and not even by Prime Minister Samir Rifai, whom we know as a man who respects the law and wouldn't accept that anyone would be wronged during his term,' he expressed.

ATP had purchased ATV in July 2008, yet had not been able to proceed with broadcasting 'for reasons beyond my will,' Awamleh said, causing him great financial losses despite full readiness to commence broadcasting.

Awamleh noted that he is ready to begin negotiations with the government to end the crisis, only if the deal is carried out in accordance with the law and all the prior agreements signed with the government.

Regarding the crisis of ATV's employees, Awamleh stressed that non-commitment on the part of the government is what led to the lay-offs.

"We were committed throughout the past 20 months to paying salaries to all ATV employees, although everyone knows that we are not responsible for the delay in launching the broadcast," he said.

"No one cared about what we went through, we do not want support from anyone, but at least allow us to proceed with work so that we can make up for all the losses," Awamleh explained.

He added, "despite that, we are committed to [the employees] if the government allows us to proceed with broadcasting, but if the government continues in this obstruction, then we will not pay [salaries] anymore, and the government must take full responsibility towards the employees and their families from now on."

Awamleh ended by saying that ATP is ready to disclose all details related to the purchase process 'from A to Z' and publish all the documents and agreements at the right time, adding that he will call for a press conference in the upcoming few days to explain what he had went through "to put the public opinion in the picture regarding what took place" and how he had faced "the biggest misleading process" without knowing the real motives or have any say in the government's behavior in this matter.