The Arab World needs a media capable of addressing international public opinion and exerting influence on it through foreign languages and new technologies, stated last Wednesday in Rabat, Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, Mr. Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid.
Minister Bensaid’s intervention came at the 53rd session of the council of Arab ministers of information (June 20&21) pledging for Arab media which should take into account opinion discrepancy and pluralism and calling for tolerance and rejection of violence, of extremism, of terrorism and all aspects of separatism.
To achieve common goals linked to qualification and development of Arab media capable of meeting multiple challenges there should be absolutely an Arab media strategy and necessary mobilization of all material potentials and human competencies, added the Minister.
Minister Bensaid has expressed his hopes to see this meeting being crowned with great success in term of improving platform media in Arab countries, so that it would contribute to defend their just causes, their identity and their cultural heritage.
Rapid development of information technology and modern communication raise important challenges for that sector in Arab countries, essentially to bring them to be competitive with international media competition., has revealed the Minister.
Other challenges linked to legislation and judicial regulations have come to be added, has underlined Minister Bensaid, to the Arab World, which are not yet in line with technology developments being witnessed by media industry particularly electronic and new information media.
“We’d like to have strong media capable of realizing noble goals to shape public opinion in the Arab World, and promote cultural human and universal values of the Arab nation, within the framework of a calm and civilized dialogue”, has stated the Minister.
Underlining that Morocco, under His Majesty King Mohammed VI’s high guidance, Morocco reiterates its permanent adherence to Arab common action, in relation with media, adding that the Moroccan Kingdom supports efforts of coordination, consultation and exchange of experiences and expertise aimed at meeting different challenges
This session, said the Minister, is occurring in a context which imposes challenges on Arab common action in the information and communication sector, “the fact which imposes on us to double our efforts to develop Arab media, as well as to pursue their qualification so that they will be in line with their own environment and capable of initiating a mechanism for defending common causes”.
This session agenda focuses on current events questions which are of great importance mainly to pursue media support for the Palestinian cause and the consolidation of its central position in Arab media, as well as defending Al Quds Arab identity, has noted Minister Bensaid.
In the same direction, Minister Bensaid has highlighted the Moroccan Kingdom’s efforts to defend brotherly Palestinian people’s legitimate rights, Al Quds Arab and Islamic identity and efforts to support Al Quds Fund in conformity with His Majesty King Mohammed VI’s supreme guidance as President of Al Quds Committee, to improve living conditions of Al Quds communities.
This session, held under Morocco’s presidency, reflects on presentation and assessment of progress being achieved in the implementation of the 52nd session of the council, held in Cairo, in light of meetings held at the level of the council’s structures, committees and working teams inside and outside the country hosting the headquarters.