A regional seminar in Sanaa calls for:Partnership not enmity [Archives:2003/661/Local News]

Sanaa, August 20 – A regional conference is to be organized by Yemen Times in cooperation with Friedrich Ebert Stiftung in Sanaa during 13-15 September will be calling upon Arab governments and the free media to work to establish partnership and not enmity between them in a conference entitled “Free Arab Media's Role in Economic Development.”
The conference will be focusing on the ongoing efforts by Arab governments in general on efforts to focus on economic and administrative reform, and the role of the media to support such reforms.
“Never in the past has the issue of media-government cooperation in enhancing economies been tackled in Yemen. This conference could be a major milestone in defining the relationship between the free media and Arab governments. It is time to focus on the need for partnership between the two sides rather than conflicts and enmity.” said Walid Al-Saqqaf, editor-in-Chief of Yemen Times.
The conference will include discussions in the main topics related to potential government-media cooperation in supporting overall economic development. Among the main topic to be discussed will be: means to empower the free Arab media to be active in economic development, transparency in government activities, professional economic journalism, the media as a watchdog, and other similar issues.
Several journalists and intellects from Yemen and other Arab countries are expected to provide working papers in this very subject.
Minister of Information, Mr. Hussein Al-Awadhi expressed his appreciation for taking such an initiative as it would be an important issue reflecting a sense of responsibility in the media sector to be more active in the economic front. “I believe the topic of this conference is unique and a window opener to enable the media to have an active role in the ongoing economic development process” he told Yemen Times.
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