Government, journalists to discuss barriers on press on Monday

Khartoum-Amid a wide concern, the media arena is looking forward to the implementation of the directives by the President of the Republic to remove all barriers on the Sudanese Press, make the state and private media outlets available for all opinions without any discrimination.
The Ministry of Information has invited editors in chief of newspapers, columnists, academicians and media professionals to attend the forum on ( freedom and responsibility), to be held at the conferences hall at the ministry on Monday.
Observers think that the discussion on the freedom and responsibility between the executive organ and the journalists is a precautionary step that might lead to an agreement on a professional code of ethics that reassures the government or allow it pass “red-lines” it used to make in each similar meeting before lifting the censorship on newspapers.

In response to a question by the Citizen on the concerns over the precautionary steps, the Secretary of the Press ay the Information Secretariat at the National Congress Majdi Abdel-Aziz has said that the forum is paves the way for comprehensive national dialogue period, adding that the press has a key role in promoting dialogue and convey and analyze the dialogue material.
He affirmed that the goal is to make an attempt to take the press approach further.
The Sudanese Press, especially the publications fell under strict supervision by the executive organ during long periods under the National Congress rule. This appeared in the pre censorship, banning publishing of specific issues, confiscating printed issues and banning writers and journalists from work for varying periods.
The Ministry of Information has said that the forum aims to enable the media to live up to its role in making the comprehensive national dialogue successful, and to agree on a method to implement the directives of the President of the Republic with regard to the press freedoms.

The state minister for Information YasirYousif has said that the forum aims to absorb the current political stage and to open the horizons that create the positive climates that benefit the media issues conference, to be held soon.
The Assistant to the President Prof. Ibrahim Ghandour and the minister of Information Dr. Ahmed Bilal are due to address the forum on Monday.
The dean of the Sudanese press Mahjoub Mohamed Saleh will present a paper on the freedom and responsibility.