EDITORS AGREE PRESS UNION OF ISLAMIC WORLD SHOULD HAVE INTERNATIONAL FLAVOUR

From Abdul Rahman Ahmad TEHERAN, Oct 31 (Bernama) -- The Press Union of the Islamic World, which was launched on Saturday, should be a "truly press organisation" which has an international flavour that does not depict an Iranian outlook, it was agreed here. Participants of the conference on the formation of the union from 38 countries also agreed that the organisation should be more structured in organising its activities with full participation of its members once the union is fully established next year. And, work on establishing the union should "start immediately" as the Muslim media is racing against time as Muslims are continuing to be suppressed by the Western media, they concurred. Acknowledging the union as the brainchild of Iran, the 53 senior editors and editors from the media and news agencies from Islamic nations also agreed that to portray a better image of the religion, the union should promote cooperation and collaboration with the non-Muslim media from non-Islamic countries, especially those who are unbiased towards Islam. They suggested that the union coordinate closely with Muslim international non-governmental organisations and human rights groups to help the plight of Muslims around the globe. These are among the suggestions put forward by the participants during the deliberation on the formation of the union which was launched by Iranian Culture and Islamic Guidance Minister Mohammad Hosseini. The participants also wanted a website on the union to be developed in the "shortest period of time" to enable them obtain updates of news on Muslim communities around the world. In response, Mohamad said the website would be put up in three months' time in English, Arabic and Persian. "A central committee will begin its work immediately to coordinate the function of the union before the first general assembly in a year's time," he said. A final statement of the conference was later read out by Deputy Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Mohammad Ja'afar Mohammadzadeh, who is also pro-tem organising chairman of the union, before the participants and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran at a ceremony at the president's office here. Ahmadinejad had spearheaded the formation of the union with the aim of uniting the Muslim media in ensuring balanced reporting about Islam in the wake of Western media propaganda against the religion. According to Mohammad Ja'afar, the secretariat of the union will be set up in Teheran and the annual meetings of the organisation will be held in the Iranian capital or other countries through coordination with the secretariat. The secretariat, among others, will prepare the groundwork for cooperation among the media of the Islamic world and established international media. It is also responsible in carrying out research and studies to present mechanisms and recommendations aimed at improving professional ties among the Muslim media. Mohammad Ja'afar said the union is based on the Quranic and religious teachings, common identity and the need for unity of the Islamic communities and promotion of Islam. According to the union's constitution, all Muslim press and media organisations engaged in the production and publication of news are entitled to be members of the union, with the approval of the general assembly. The areas of cooperation among the union members include exchange of production and technological experience, exchange of news, reports, commentaries and news photos, joint news production, training of editorial staff, exchange of news packages and cooperation on coverage of news events, and making use of the latest technologies in the technical sector and programming. -- BERNAMA