Anyone think there’s a slight potential for conflict of interest here? Jordanian royal court announces engagement of King Abdullah’s brother to a CNN reporter. (Hat tip: zombie.)

Jordan’s royal family on Friday announced the engagement of King Abdullah II’s half brother, Prince Ali, to CNN reporter Rym Brahimi.

The wedding will take place Sept. 7, the official Petra news agency reported.

Ali, 29, heads a special force that protects the monarch. He is the son of the late King Hussein from his marriage to Queen Alia, who died in a helicopter crash in 1977.

Brahimi is the daughter of the U.N. envoy to Iraq, Lakhdar Brahimi.

The engagement ceremony took place in Paris in the presence of Abdullah, Petra said.

I’ve always said that our media is in bed with the rulers of the Arab world. Well, it’s not just a metaphor any more.

UPDATE: Rym Brahimi’s father, the UN envoy to Iraq, is in the news today too—for saying that Israel is “the big poison” in the Middle East: Brahimi’s Israel Comments Draw Annan, Israeli Ire.

Brahimi told France’s Inter radio on Thursday that Israeli policies toward Palestinians and Washington’s support for them hindered his search for a caretaker Iraqi regime that would take power on June 30 when the U.S.-led occupation ends.

“The problems are linked, there is no doubt about it,” said Brahimi, a former Algerian foreign minister. “The big poison in the region is the Israeli policy of domination and the suffering imposed on the Palestinians.”

Brahimi said his job was complicated by Iraqi perceptions of “Israel’s completely violent and repressive security policy and determination to occupy more and more Palestinian territory.”

Eckhard told reporters at his daily news briefing, “As a preliminary reaction I could say that as you know he is a former foreign minister of Algeria and therefore he brings to the table strongly held and strongly expressed views about the Middle East peace process.”