Free movement for media within SAARC region 

[December 17, 2004 - 8.00 GMT]

South Asian Ministers of Information and media have agreed to liberalize the visa system to allow the free movement of media personnel within the region. This was agreed during the fourth conference of the SAARC Ministers of Information and Media held in Islamabad this week. 

This move previously proposed to the SAARC Information Ministers meeting by the conference of editors and working journalists was endorsed as a positive approach to further promote people to people contacts within the region, which represents one fifth of the world's population. 

The Ministers of the seven SAARC countries led their respective delegations at the conference. Information and Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera led the Sri Lankan delegation. 

Samaraweera addressing the conference said SAARC should go into the unique characters, needs and values of the region when preparing this plan of action instead of merely duplicating western concepts of media freedom.

The 13^th SAARC Summit is to be held from January 9 – 11, 2005 in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

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Last Updated Date: December 17, 2004 - 8:00 GMT