President attends 4th conference for Yemeni journalists

SANA’A, March 14 (Saba)-President Ali Abdullah Saleh attended on Saturday the fourth conference for Yemeni journalists, which was begin in Sana’a for three days under slogan” Defend for Rights of Journalists and Press Freedom. In the opening session of the conference, president Saleh said that the conference would receive all support to sever issues of the journalists in the country, asking journalists to be careful while they publish news and get information from concerned sources to make sure from credibility of the information. President Saleh said that the media is a tool for building of the nation and spreading culture of tolerance in the society, not to spread abhorrence, division and regionalism. He wondered about some calls for admitting so-called “south issue and Saada issue”, saying that such calls mean to return back of the nation to age before 22 May 1990 and Saada issue means to return nation back to Imam ruling. In his speech, president Saleh announced dropping a punishment against a journalist Abdul-Kareem al-Khiwani, asking him to be a good journalist in the society and avoid regionalism and racism. He asked the Ministry of Information to pace measures of issuing permits for new newspapers in accordance with the law, and issue a law of setting up space channels to work within framework of freedom of expression. He also ordered the prime minister to brief the journalists about what is going in the cabinet through an official spokesman in a press conference to be held after weekly meetings of the cabinet. President Saleh concluded his speech by wishing success for the conference and recommendations to serve the journalism. For his part, the chief of journalists Nasr Taha Mustafa delivered a speech, in which he welcomed president Saleh on behalf of journalists, highlighting directives of the president to set up Higher Council for Media and finalizing job calcification for media personnel and journalists. The Information Minister Hassan al-Lawzi supported in his speech the general assembly of the syndicate to go ahead with discussion over honor charter, reviewing achievements of the journalism in the country. For his part, the chairman of the international union for journalists Jim Abu Malhim praised role of the Yemen Journalists Syndicate to defend rights of its members, saying that the journalism in Yemen is in safe hands as the syndicate is still continuing its works. He asked to carry out directives of president Saleh to drop sentence against al-Khiwani, pointing out to the challenges facing journalists over the world. AH Saba