Opportunity for Arab World to showcase its best to western media leaders

The Summit will be held on October 7th and 8th at Madinat Jumeirah - the latest addition to Dubai's hospitality sector.

"It has attracted top journalists from leading and highly influential news and media organisations from the West such as BBC, CNN, The Times, The Guardian, Star TV Group and leading French institutions," said Al Mansoori.

"These are extremely potent organisations which influence public debate and thought in the Western world. Their presence in Dubai is an opportunity for all of us to display our best to show them what the Arab world is truly like.

Perfect Opportunity
"This is a perfect opportunity for us to get rid of misperceptions, misconceptions and misimpressions that have crept into our relationship with the Western world over the past couple of years," Al Mansoori said.

That is what the theme of the Arab Media Summit also calls for - to promote better understanding and acceptance between the West and the Arab worlds through frank and open discussions and debate, pointed out Mohammed Al Mansoori.

She said the Arab Media Summit 2003 has attracted top-level journalists like Chris Cramer, President of CNN International as also Ron Siccone, Vice President, Turner Broadcasting Company and Nic Robertson, Senior International Correspondent also of CNN.

"We will have names known the world over like Peter Arnett, Pulitzer Prize winning former CNN correspondent who has spent a lifetime covering war from Vietnam to Iraq.

Influential Press
"We will have Tim Sebastian of BBC World's HARDtalk as well as Clive Myrie from BBC, who covered the Iraq war and Jacky Rowland who reported the overthrow of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic." Al Mansoori said.

Other eminent news personalities who will gather in Dubai for the Arab Media Summit 2003 include Jim Laurie, Head of News at Star TV Group; Martin Woollacott, The Guardian Columnist; Yousef Ibrahim former correspondent of the New York Times; Chris Doyle of the Council for the Advancement of Arab British Understanding, Janine di Giovanni of The Times and Danny Schecter, an influential writer from Washington.

France-based Robert Menard, Chief Executive Officer of Reporters Sans Frontiers and Paul-Marie de La Gorce, celebrated French thinker and correspondent, will represent Continental Europe.

International media and delegates have also registered to participate in the Arab Media Summit including Media Consultant from Hurriyet Newspaper - Turkey, Garbis Kesisoglu and columnist from the Swedish newspaper Dalademo Kraten, Helena Axelson Fifk.

At the same time International television channels will also host programmes such as the Japanese Television and BBC Dateline presented by Gavin Esler, which delves into the stories behind the headlines, with incisive commentary on the current events.

Promote Dialogue
The Arab Media Summit is held every year in Dubai and is designed to open channels for dialogue between the Arab and Western media so as to contribute to a better understanding of each other. The aim is to bring the best possible speakers to the region to stimulate discussion and new directions of thought in an open and candid environment.

This time the theme of 'War & The Media' has been selected because of its timeliness and particular relevance to journalists under the prevailing world scenario and the recent and continuing situation in Iraq.

"We are expecting about 500 Editor-in-Chiefs of major Arabic and International print and broadcast media, leading Arabic journalists, columnists, academics, analysts, commentators and senior government officials," Al Mansoori added.