CAIRO: Arab ministers who met this week in Damascus, Syria approved a resolution aimed integrating media and information technology in the region, and another promoting the use of Arabic language on the Internet. The Damascus Resolution aims at spreading the use of applications which integrate media and communication in the Arab world in its strive towards social and economic development as well as reducing the knowledge gap. The ministers of information, communication and IT from around the region met in Damascus to discuss the logistics behind and the importance of integrating media and technology. They also approved the Damascus Statement for the Advancement of the Arabic Language for Moving Towards Knowledge Society. The statement calls for the use of Arabic on the internet and stressed the importance of having audio-visual media that preserves Arab identity and culture. Arabic, they said, should be the official language in all fields, reported the official Syrian news agency. They presented recommendations to the Arab Summit concerning legislation for using Arabic in all basic fields of communication and education, and encouraging the Arabization of higher education and the translation of sciences to Arabic, reported the Xinhua news agency. They stressed that the Arabic language and Arab culture are the basis of cultural unity and national identity. In his speech at the joint conference, Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa underlined the importance of the cooperation between the ministers of these different sectors from the around the region to keep up with the global information revolution and utilize the advancements in these fields. Egyptian Information Minister Anas El-Fiqi and MCIT Minister Tarek Kamel were absent because they are currently accompanying President Hosni Mubarak on his trip to India. An anonymous official in the Egyptian delegation at the conference revealed to independent daily Al-Masry Al-Youm that the ministers agreed on freezing the Arab League Satellite Broadcasting Charter as a result of the vicious attacks it received from the Arab media. He added that a number of Arab states have backed down on their approval of the charter after the extreme criticism it received. Information ministers of the 22-member Arab League voted last February in favor of the Arab League Satellite Broadcasting Charter, with Qatar being the only dissenting vote. The document, which is not legally binding, was principally backed by Egypt and Saudi Arabia and calls for the stations "not to offend the leaders or national and religious symbols of Arab countries. At the time, Al-Jazeera television lashed out at the charter which seeks to stop Arab satellite channels from offending governments in the region. "Al-Jazeera considers the adoption of the charter... a risk to freedom of expression in the Arab world, the Qatar-based pan-Arab television network said in a statement. "Any codes of ethics or governance for journalistic practices should emerge... from within the profession and not be imposed externally by political institutions, it added.
