RAWALPINDI, Dec 14: President Gen Pervez Musharraf said here on Tuesday the media in South Asia could serve as a catalyst in promoting peace and harmony for the collective well-being of one-fifth of humanity living in the region.

He was talking to information ministers of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation states, who are in Pakistan for a two-day conference to explore ways for promoting regional cooperation.

Federal Minister for Information Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, Minister of State for Information Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli and Secretary Information Shahid Rafi were present during the meeting.

Welcoming the Saarc information ministers, the president wished them a comfortable stay and expressed the hope that they would have fruitful deliberations during the conference.

President Musharraf observed that media could play an important role in developing understanding, fostering peace and promoting regional tourism but stressed that for peace and harmony to sustain in the long-term, the region's countries should remove impediments in the way of a lasting and mutually beneficial cooperation.

"We can provide better economic opportunities to our peoples by establishing durable peace through resolution of our disputes." South Asia, he said, was endowed with vast tourism potential and media could help promote tourism and regional interaction for the common benefit of all.

Reiterating Pakistan's commitment to freedom of expression, he said media in Pakistan enjoyed unprecedented freedom, with several new private TV and radio channels appearing on the horizon.

The Saarc information ministers thanked the president for the opportunity to call on him. They expressed warm appreciation for the hospitality extended to them and excellent arrangements made by the ministry of information for the regional moot. -APP