ALGIERS - The 12th general assembly of the Alliance of Mediterranean News Agencies (AMAN) began in Algiers, Algeria on Saturday.
Anadolu Agency (A.A) Executive Board Chairman and General Director Hilmi Bengi represents A.A in the general assembly hosted by Algeria News Agency (APS). Representatives of 18 news agencies are taking part and four other news agencies in their quality of observers in the proceedings.
A.A is among founder members of AMAN.
Khalida Toumi, Minister of Communication and Culture of Algeria, chaired the opening of the proceedings and said that Algeria exerted efforts at all the levels in order to create a positive co-operation which would benefit all the Mediterranean countries.
Toumi underlined the necessity to rehabilitate the role of the Mediterranean basin to ''bridge the gap for dialogue and complementarity''. Toumi said that news agencies assumed the mission to shed light of the changes which have occurred in the world and that ''in front of the existing crises and conflicts, these agencies have to work hard in order to create a world where humanism and solidarity prevail.''
The proceedings of the general assembly of the alliance of the Mediterranean news agencies will deal with a report worked out by the current secretary-general on the financial situation of the alliance. The proceedings will be also characterised by the election of the secretary-general for the coming three years, the proposal to organise seminars for training by the follow-up committee and the examination of the file relating to the assistance for the member agencies.
The general assembly is the highest authority for decision-making. It chooses the president and the two vice presidents of the alliance for one year. It is also composed of an executive authority ''follow-up committee'' which is composed of a president, two vice-presidents and a secretary-general. This committee is elected for a three years mandate.
Besides A.A, France, Mauritania, Greece, Italy, Algeria, Albania, Greek Cypriot side, Spain, Libya, Portugal, Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Slovenia, Tunisia and Palestine news agencies are members of AMAN.
AMAN was set up in 1991.
(EÖ-AY) 05.10.2003