>Libya: > >News and Views > > >Thursday, 7 September, 2000: The Tunisian and Libyan governments will soon >have a joint satellite television covering the Maghreb region and beyond. >While overall media creation has been spearheaded by private initiative during >the past years, this venture is led by two governments which would result in >questionable coverage of the news. This new venture was decided last June >during Ben Ali's visit to Tripoli, Libya. It will be based in Tunis and will >focus on news coverage. The media sector continues to evolve rapidly in the >Maghreb but this latest venture certainly have political motives, primarily to >counterbalance the rise in popularity of Middle Eastern satellite stations led >by Qatar's El Jazeera TV. This Qatari TV has been the most controversial media >outlet due to its critical view of the Arab world including its stance against >the Tunisian and Libyan governments. It appears that this new satellite >channel is a sort of response to El Jazeera's popularity in the region. [North >Africa Journal] > >Thursday, 7 September, 2000: Three Frenchmen, two Finns and a German held by >Muslim extremist guerrillas for up to four months in the southern Philippines >should walk free on Friday, officials said Wednesday. The government's chief >hostage negotiator, Roberto Aventajado, announced earlier Wednesday that Abu >Sayyaf leader Galib Andang pledged to him that the six would walk free on >Thursday. A Libyan jet on standby "within six hours" flying time would then >fetch them from Cebu airport in the central Philippines and take them to >Tripoli, he added. Libya has played a key role in freeing some hostages after >promising development aid to impoverished Muslim areas in the south >Philippines, in the process of boosting its image in the international >community. [AFP] Letters: Wednesday, 6 September, 2000 > >Wednesday, 6 September, 2000: The secretary of the Libyan- Arab relations >bureau in Damascus Salem Muhammad al-Shweihdi and his wife on Saturday evening >held a dinner party in Damascus on the occasion of the 31st anniversary of >al-Fateh revolution in Libya. It was attended by the Syrian minister of state >for foreign affairs Nasser Qaddour, the minister of education Mahmoud >al-Sayed, the minister of supply Osama al-Barid, political and trade activists >in Damascus and members of the Arab and foreign diplomatic missions in Syria. >[Arabic News] > > Wednesday, 6 September, 2000: The Libyan minister in charge of African >Affairs, Ali Triki, has urged the European Union to henceforth deal with >Africa as a united continent and to stop its colonial policy based on the >principle of "divide and rule." He accused the EU before the 114th ordinary >session of the Arab League in Cairo of trying to sow the seeds of discord in >Africa. Triki also called on Europe to deal with Arab States as a unified >community. [PANA] _______________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi _______________________________________________________ Kominform list for general information. Subscribe/unsubscribe messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Anti-Imperialism list for anti-imperialist news. Subscribe/unsubscribe messages: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________________
