Tunisian Ambassador: Independent Media for Islamic News Coverage a Must

In a meeting with the TEHRAN TIMES Managing Director Parviz Esmaeili, the Tunisian envoy expressed hope for expansion of cultural and mutual ties between Iran and Tunisia and added that his country has also taken important steps for proper news coverage of the Islamic countries.
Esmaeili also voiced readiness of the international paper under his supervision for the exchange of cultural, political, and economic news with the Tunisian mass media, adding that the establishment of the Mehr News Agency has been one of the important moves toward such a cause.
"Muslim countries, as the holy Qoran says, are brothers and the exchange of cultural views and news on current affairs would lead to the expansion and development of the Islamic culture throughout the world," Esmaeili said. The Tunisian envoy suggested a separate section for the news coverage of the Islamic countries in the newspapers, saying, "Western media have always tried to depict a negative image about the Islamic countries." Esmaeili reminded the suffering of the Palestinian people at the hands of the Israeli regime and said, "Islamic countries have a great potential in both economic and cultural fields and should use it to their own advantage."
He said that the Iranian people like the Iraqis are very happy to see the fall of Saddam's regime but emphasized that the future of Iraq should be determined by the people of Iraq.
"All the Islamic countries can and should cooperate with each other economically, politically, and culturally and we hope that the two countries of Iran and Tunisia will take all the necessary steps to this end," said the ambassador.