null
Lucia A Keegan  01/18/2007 07:35:08 PM  From  DB/Inbox:  Lucia A Keegan

Cable 
Text:                                                                      
                                                                           
      
UNCLAS    SENSITIVE     PARIS 00168

SIPDIS
cxparis:
    ACTION: UNESCO
    INFO:   AMB AMBU AMBO DCM POL SCI ECON

DISSEMINATION: UNESCOX
CHARGE: PROG

APPROVED: AMB:LVOLIVER
DRAFTED: POL:DROSTROFF
CLEARED: PAO:CBERGIN

VZCZCFRI250
RR RUEHC RUEHGB
DE RUEHFR #0168/01 0171418
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 171418Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY PARIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4230
INFO RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD 0549

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 000168 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FROM USMISSION UNESCO PARIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
BAGHDAD PASS TO PAO PRESS OFFICER DEL CASTILLO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: UNESCO SCUL KDEM IZ
SUBJECT: UNESCO CONFERENCE ON FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND MEDIA 
DEVELOPMENT IN IRAQ 
 
¶1.  (SBU) UNESCO hosted a three-day international conference on the 
"Freedom of Expression and Media Development in Iraq" January 8-10 
in Paris, bringing together over 300 participants, including 200 
Iraqi journalists, some 20 members of the Iraqi parliament, 
government officials, and media owners to discuss the key concerns 
facing the country's media in the context of civil conflict in 
post-Saddam Iraq. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) At the close of the conference, a declaration was issued 
raising several points, including:  the need to improve the safety 
of journalists and media professionals working in Iraq; the 
establishment of a national fund to provide financial support to the 
families of journalists killed in the line of duty; ensuring that 
crimes against journalists are investigated and do not go 
unpunished; the importance of Iraq's Communications and Media 
Commission functioning as an independent body; the need for 
journalists to form associations and regulate the profession 
themselves with professional standards and, finally, the importance 
of women and minorities in the media and their role in the 
reconstruction of Iraq. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Despite getting off to a bad start, reportedly due to 
Turkey's refusal to permit the charter flight to over fly Turkish 
territory, and France's refusal to allow the plane to land in the 
middle of the night, the participants delved into several issues, 
including how to improve the safety of journalists and organizing 
funds to care for the families of assassinated media professionals. 
 
¶4. (SBU) UNESCO's Director General Matsuura welcomed the group and 
praised them for their courage and professionalism.  The other 
co-hosts for the event, Paolo Lembo, Director of the UNDP Office in 
Iraq, Mr. Siyamend Othman, CEO of the Iraqi Communications and Media 
Commission (CMC), and Japan's Ambassador to UNESCO, Seiichi Kondo, 
also welcomed participants.  The conference was paid for primarily 
by the CMC (which finances its operations from the media license 
fees it collects in Iraq), and a US$30,000 gift from Japan. 
 
¶5. (SBU) The US Mission was present to observe, as was Embassy 
Baghdad, which sent its Portfolio Press Officer, Daniel del 
Castillo.  State Department officer, Michael Michener (DRL), was 
scheduled to speak, but did not attend.  Just three or four UNESCO 
delegations sat in on the conference. 
 
¶6. (SBU) The UNESCO conference provided the first opportunity for 
such a large group of Iraqi media professionals to meet together 
since the start of the war. 
 
¶7. (SBU) As an observer to the conference, it was clear that many of 
the people in the room knew each other well, knew who the players 
were, what companies or organizations they represented, and what 
camp they represented.  The divisions, while not clearly 
identifiable to an outsider, were, nonetheless, very apparent.  The 
result was that every discussion, during the conference, seemed to 
have a second layer of meaning that was, unfortunately and 
literally, lost in translation, as the often-vocal reaction off of 
the podium to speakers was entirely in Arabic and not interpreted. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Kurdish participants, both members of the Kurdish 
parliament and media professionals, made a point of always 
differentiating themselves from other participants in the group when 
speaking.  Another Kurdish speaker suggested that conferences and 
training be held in Kurdistan, due to the relatively safe 
environment there.  The speaker noted that since the demise of the 
Hussein regime, there are over 213 newspapers and 161 magazines now 
being printed in Kurdistan alone. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Other attendees raised the fact that members of the Iraqi 
parliament were present, and should, according to many, not have a 
voice in formulating any declarations that should be coming only 
from media professionals. 
 
¶10. (SBU) There were several rather heated discussions, at least by 
UNESCO standards, including an exchange when one participant 
suggested that the killing of journalists could be justified in 
part, as many worked for the Muhabarat secret services.  The comment 
raised indignation throughout the room, and others stressed the need 
for journalists to be clearly identified as neutral observers. 
Others agreed that the problem of infiltration by secret services 
into the ranks of the media exists, but is not limited to Iraq, and 
in no case justified assassination.  Another participant said that 
while we believe we are working for the greater national good, there 
are others who are seeking to undermine our efforts.  There was also 
a call for common terminology for use in the media be developed, so 
terrorists are clearly defined from freedom fighters, for example. 
 
¶11. (SBU) Others noted that Iraq's media is divided by lines based 
on affiliation with political parties, religious groups, civil 
organizations, and others claiming to be independent media. 
Interestingly, of the large group present, only six or seven hands 
when up when participants were asked if they represented 
"independent" media. 
 
¶12. (SBU) There were many calls for transparency regarding 
ownership, and strict limits on monopolistic ownership of the media. 
 As a part of this desire to be more independent, it was suggested 
that the CMC set up a "teleport" facility in Iraq enabling media 
companies to broadcast without having to use foreign satellite relay 
stations. 
 
¶13. (SBU) Another interesting comment by one of the participants was 
in connection to the most recent training program of media 
professionals held in Amman, Jordan.  According to the speaker, 
three different UN and UN agency-sponsored training programs, all 
concerning media in Iraq, were held in the same hotel with none of 
the meeting organizers aware of the fact that other UN groups were 
present.  Others complained that the trainees knew more about the 
subjects that the trainers. 
 
¶14. (SBU) Someone else raised the subject of donor countries, saying 
that donor countries are often more interested in playing out their 
political agendas than really interested in good results.  The 
speaker then asked the room whether anyone had refused monies for 
training outside of Iraq.  He added that financial assistance for 
training should not be conditional. 
 
¶15. (SBU) There were also several complaints about the squandering 
of funds.  While no one spoke up about the cost of bringing together 
participants for this particular meeting in Paris, there were 
negative comments made about sending 10 media professionals outside 
of Iraq for training at a cost of US$250,000.  Several participants 
noted that Iraq's media professionals, technicians, and universities 
are fully competent to train media professionals in country, despite 
the fact that there seems to be a trend that implies that all "real" 
training must take place outside of Iraq. 
 
¶16. (SBU) Another participant said that there is too heavy a focus 
on Baghdad, and that we must come to the understanding that Iraq 
exists and needs journalists outside of Baghdad. 
 
¶17. (SBU) Finally, there were sessions held on economic independence 
and commercial sustainability, with speakers emphasizing the need 
for Iraq's media to become self-financing to lessen political 
pressures. 
OLIVER