02. 05. 2004

Belgrade marks World Free Press Day

BELGRADE,May 2, 2004 – A conference in Belgrade today was the first in a number of events to mark World Free Press Day, May 3. The conference, on support for media who report armed conflict in countries in transition, was organised by UNESCO and the National Committee of Serbia-Montenegro for UNESCO cooperation. It was formally opened by Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic, himself a former journalist. Speaking at the conference, Stability Pact representative Elizabeth Rehn said that the media situation in Serbia had improved, but that unresolved bureaucratic problems, such as the Broadcast Agency Council, remained. She described as a positive sign the presence of a government minister at today’s conference, but warned that it was too early to speak about the new government’s media policy. “Of course, we can only hope that it will be wise enough to support the media in being professional, independent and responsible,” she added. Belgrade Media Centre acting director Nebojsa Spaic told the conference that it was very important that World Free Press Day is marked in Serbia, despite the poor situation in the media. Spaic told B92 that there was a lot of legislation still to be adopted and that laws already in place were not being implemented. He described the attention to World Free Press Day in Belgrade as a step in the right direction, adding that he hoped the new authorities would address what had been promised within fifty or sixty days. However, warned Spaic, nothing had yet been done. World Free Press Day was instituted in 1991, following the Declaration on Free Media in Africa at a UN conference in Windhoek.