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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 26 Oct. - 1 Nov. 2000 Issue No. 505 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 26 Oct. - 1 Nov. 2000 Issue No. 505
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Palestine International Economy Opinion Culture Focus Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Meet the press
By Shaden ShehabWith some 150 delegates representing the press syndicates and unions of 15 Arab countries gathered in Amman yesterday, the opening of the ninth conference of the Federation of Arab Journalists was one hell of a press conference.
The conference, held under the auspices of the Jordanian monarch, Abdullah, is expected to deal primarily with the Arab-Israeli conflict and the aftermath of the Arab summit, which closed in Cairo on Sunday, Salaheddin Hafez, the federation's secretary-general, told Al-Ahram Weekly.
Jordanian Crown Prince Hamza bin Hussein inaugurated the three-day event, entitled "A Free and Unrestricted Arab Press." Arab journalists are expected to affirm their opposition to normalising relations with Israel in a show of solidarity for the Palestinians engaged in the Al-Aqsa Intifada. The group will also elect a new board on Friday.
In the opening ceremony, federation Chairman Ibrahim Nafie stressed the significance of the role played by the federation in the four years since its last meeting. "We have reshaped the national and professional role of the federation as a democratic national organisation -- one that strongly reflects the views of not only thousands of journalists, but also reflects the conscience of the Arab nation," Nafie said.
Ibrahim Nafie
In the first working session last night, Nafie strongly condemned Israeli violence against the Palestinians. "We are meeting here today only a few steps away from occupied Jerusalem," he said, calling Jerusalem the city that has produced "the heated and heroic Intifada, in defence of the Al-Aqsa mosque, as well as our civilisation, our history and religions."
Nafie cited the suffering of the Palestinians, saying that the federation has always maintained the unwavering conviction that a "comprehensive and just peace" is the only way for the Arabs to regain their occupied lands. But in the same breath, he affirmed that "it is the right of Arabs to resist aggression and oppression of the aggressor ... The Al-Aqsa Intifada proves to us, and to the world, that our position is correct."
Calling this week's Arab summit an opportunity to raise the Arab voice against military aggression and blind violations of Palestinian rights, Nafie said, "We bow our heads to its [Jerusalem's] holiness and to the heroes of resistance and the souls of martyrs."
Naim El-Tobasi, chairman of the Palestinian journalist's syndicate, urged the conference to "Raise your voices for Jerusalem and Palestine ... Your demands and pressure will offer us protection against the incredible crimes committed by the Israelis ... We remain with you, waiting for the day of the liberation of our Jerusalem."
Secretary-General Hafez told the Weekly that the conference will debate the necessity of forging a reconciliation between Iraq and Kuwait and lifting the "unjustifiable" sanctions against Iraq. "As a united Arab federation, we will take the initiative of settling differences between Arab countries, with our federation serving as a forum," he said. Citing an example, Hafez said that the federation would suggest a dialogue between Iraqis and Kuwaitis, to take place soon in Cairo.
"We have no problem with the Kuwaiti delegation, and they took the initiative and shook hands with us," Dawoud Farhan, a representative of the Iraqi press syndicate, told the Weekly. "But the federation should do more than just talk. There is a proposal to organise a flight to Iraq at the conclusion of the conference to show solidarity with the Iraqi people -- but the proposal is still under discussion," he said.
Another subject perpetually under discussion is freedom of the press. "The board has prepared a draft law to serve as a model to the Arab press in safeguarding its freedom. The federation will submit the draft to Arab parliaments and governments for use as a future guide," Hafez said.
He added that there are several challenges facing the federation. "We constantly defend the rights of journalists and pressure governments about laws that include stiff penalties for publication offences," he said. Another important issue, Hafez noted, is upgrading technology in order to take on the age of electronic media.
The federation will elect a new chairman and 14 board members on Friday. Although members of the board can be elected for a second time, "it is expected that they will be replaced in the pursuit of change," Hafez said.
Although the conference is supposed to convene every four years, the last conference, in Cairo in 1996, took place following a hiatus of 13 years. The 1979 and 1983 conferences were both held in Iraq as a result of the Arab boycott of Egypt for signing the 1978 Camp David peace agreements with Israel. The federation was founded in 1964, with its headquarters in Cairo.
Related stories:
Intifada in focus
States of emergency
Producing the body (count)
Tempered anger at the summit
Composing the consensus
The electronic Intifada
Horror in your sitting room
Variations on a theme
The big freeze
Solidarity days
'A valid fear'
Meet the press
The earth speaks Arabic
Also see Focus on Intifada 19 - 25 October 2000© Copyright Al-Ahram Weekly. All rights reserved
