ISLAMABAD, March 9: The Saarc information ministers’ conference ended on Saturday after taking many decisions, including agreement on free movement of journalists within the region and establishment of a media development fund.

“There has been tremendous amount of harmony during the conference and that’s why we have taken all the decisions unanimously to promote cooperation in the field of information and technology,” said Nisar Memon, the new chairman of Saarc information ministers.

The minister for information and media development told reporters that the participants had termed the conference a constructive event which would help create religious and cultural tolerance and remove misunderstandings in the region.

Mr Memon made it clear at the very outset that Saarc was a multilateral forum at which bilateral issues cannot be discussed. “But I can tell you that there was a formidable goodwill in the conference to have on priority peace and harmony in the region,” he said, adding the participants were of the view that differences within the region would disappear gradually provided Saarc members continued to meet with each other regularly.

Giving details, he said it had been decided that the information ministers of Saarc would meet every year. The second conference, he said, was held after four years which, the participants felt, was not in consonance with intentions of promoting peace and harmony.

“Now the next meeting will be held around this same time next year in India,” the minister said, adding that India had offered to be the host of the third conference. The first conference was held in Bangladesh.

He pointed out that a decision had been taken to establish a ‘Saarc Media Fora’ in all the seven member countries with a view to facilitating a meeting of editors and working journalists every year. Bangladesh, he said, had expressed its willingness to host such a meeting in Dhaka as and when details were worked out.

Also, he said, the Saarc secretariat would organize at least six training programmes for journalists each year. These training programmes would be held in radio and TV academies as well as the information academy.

It was decided to establish a model trance-satellite broadcasting technology system for having greater collaboration in the field of satellite research. “This will help us to have free flow of information”.

He said that a Saarc Information Centre would be set up at the Saarc secretariat to provide each other information about various matters. A Saarc audio-video exchange committee would also be set up to have live joint programmes, he said and added that in this regard prime time programmes would be started in the member states.

The information minister said that Pakistan had offered to give away awards, on a regular basis, to artistes of folk music. He said there would be a functional cooperation in the field of Internet. “The good thing about this conference is that we have set dates for compliance to have increased cooperation in the field of information.”

Asked whether anything had been discussed and decided to end malicious propaganda against each other, Mr Memon said it would take time to have everything running smoothly.

In reply to a question, the minister said that President Pervez Musharraf had rightly pointed out during the inaugural session that no Saarc objectives could be achieved, if there was no peace and harmony in the region. He said the participants realized that there was a need to improve the environment to promote peace and friendship in the region. “What the president had said was well taken in the conference,” Mr Memon said.

Asked whether the journalists could also go to occupied Kashmir, he said the issue of free movement of newsmen had been agreed upon with reducing visa restrictions. “We all want to go to Srinagar because it is a very beautiful place,” he said, hoping the continuous interaction among the Saarc information ministers would help resolve contentious issues.