(partial answer)
Does Al Arabiya have a presence in the US?
Yes, they appear to have a Washington bureau chief and they interviewed (short clip by the AP) the then just elected President Barrack Obama. From Al Arabiya's own website:
"We contacted many of our friends inside and outside the American administration," Melham told AlArabiya.net. "And I believe there have been discussions in the White House about whether the new president should now approach the situation in the Muslim world especially after closing Guantanamo and starting the withdrawal from Iraq. They later informed me that the first interview will be given to Al Arabiya and to me personally."
The White House contacted Melhem, Al Arabiya’s Washington bureau chief, and asked him not to announce the interview until an official announcement was made by the administration. The interview was to take place after Obama's meeting with his Middle East peace envoy Sen. George Mitchell and his Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.