New head of French-speaking countries union urged to defend press freedom

Reporters Without Borders today urged the new secretary-general of the International Organisation of French-Speaking Countries, former Senegalese President Abdou Diouf, to condemn attacks on press freedom in Lebanon resulting from an outbreak of political score-settling. It said Lebanon in particular should be reminded of its obligations to freedom and legality - that had made it a democratic exception in the region - because it had hosted the 9th French-Speaking Countries Summit last October. The Lebanese broadcasting media has been hit in the past few months by "political score-settling that would be almost laughable if press freedom was not the main victim of it," Reporters Without Borders said. Recently, President Emile Lahud and Prime Minister Rafik Hariri had been battling it out by shutting down TV stations and making "intemperate remarks," it said. The closure of the privately-owned Murr Television (MTV) last 4 September drew broad national and international condemnation but Hariri only added his voice to this on 6 January, two days after Lahud ordered the reopening of another private station, New Television (NTV) that Hariri had ordered closed late last month because of his ties to Saudi Arabia. Hariri is now expected to press Lahud to allow MTV to reopen. The right of MTV and NTV viewers to be informed, along with the right of the two stations to exist and operate freely was "clearly unimportant" to the Lebanese authorities, Reporters Without Borders said. "This absurd situation shows the contempt of the politicians for the independence of the courts, as well as their use of the media and press freedom in petty political manoeuvring."