Report

“Humankind is poised at a crossroads: in one direction lies self-destruction, in the other the possibility of affluence and well-being for all”
– Jordan’s Prince el Hassan bin Talal

For the fourth consecutive year, the Eurasian Media Forum brought together a broad cross-section of journalists, politicians, defence and security experts, lawyers and academics on April 21-23, 2005.

They discussed a wide range of topics including reporting extreme terrorist incidents, revolutions in post-Soviet countries, Asia’s devastating tsunami, AIDS, media law and trauma among journalists operating in war zones.

The Eurasian Media Forum is a non-political organisation founded in Kazakhstan to promote East-West understanding through dialogue involving the media, policymakers and experts on Central Asia.

The 2005 Forum, held in Almaty, Kazakhstan - through which passed the once great Silk Road linking Orient and Occident - brought together more than 300 representatives from over 35 countries in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North America and Africa.

Asia’s tsunami, major political upheavals in Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan, the continued insurgency in Iraq and further acts of international terrorism formed a backdrop to the conference.

At the end of the conference, it was announced that the Fifth Eurasian Media Forum would be held in Kazakhstan in 2006.

Opening the latest Eurasian Media Forum, Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev homed in on political unrest in some post-Soviet countries, saying they were driven by popular resentment against failed economic and development policies rather than mythical external conspiracies.

“Poverty and unemployment resulting from lack of development strategies and visible economic successes make people feel unhappy with the authorities,” he said. “It is poverty and inequality which drive such evils as international terrorism and extremism.”

By contrast, Nazarbayev described Kazakhstan as an internationally recognised model of development that could serve as an example for all former Soviet states, based on accelerated economic growth and political liberalisation, including freedom of the press.

He called on the international media community to recognise and assume its moral responsibility towards society. The media could influence the future by helping to shape a new global community based on cooperation and common interests, he said.

In a recorded message to the Forum, Jordan’s Prince el Hassan bin Talal said: “Humankind is poised at a crossroads: in one direction lies self-destruction, in the other, the possibility of affluence and well-being for all. Concepts such as growth, stability and order are not ends in themselves, but have value only if they bring about the greater welfare of people.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a congratulatory message: “Your Forum has already become an extensive and influential public venue, where the most serious and relevant issues are debated and where the media as a whole may play a unique role in seeking to resolve these issues.

“This year is becoming increasingly significant as it is the 60th anniversary of the Great Victory over Nazism, an occasion for promoting the universal values that oppose the extremism and terrorism now endangering civilisation,” he said.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s welcoming message said: “Gatherings such as this conference are important opportunities to reaffirm the world’s commitment to the independence of the media… Unless ideas and information can travel freely, both within frontiers and across them, peace will remain that much more elusive.”

Other supportive messages came from NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Grigoriy Rapota, Secretary-General of the Eurasian Economic Community, and the First Vice-President of the European Parliament, Alejo Vidal-Quadras Roca.

Dariga Nazarbayeva, founder and organiser of the Eurasian Media Forum, warned her audience of the potential danger of information being manipulated and she questioned whether a compromise between the authorities and the media might be necessary and justified in such cases as reporting terrorism.

“Media professionals should understand at what point one should stop covering terror attacks and when to ask whether it is moral to give criminals holding hostages a chance to speak on television,” she said.
The Forum's stated aims are to promote the concept of Eurasia, to encourage the development of its mass media, to help a professional exchange of views on fresh challenges faced by the media and to build a continuing dialogue between East and West.

Independent broadcaster and journalist Riz Khan chaired the 2005 conference for the fourth consecutive year.

Leading delegates and speakers at the 2005 Forum included Grigoriy Rapota, General Secretary of the Eurasian Economic Community; Wesley Clark, Former Supreme Allied Commander of Europe; Richard Perle, Resident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute; Jim Laurie, Executive Producer FocusAsiaTV.Org; Nik Gowing, Main Presenter BBC World; Michael Golden, Publisher, International Herald Tribune and Vice-Chairman, New York Times Company; Ammar Bakkar, Editor-in-chief of Alarabiya.net and head of New Media Unit, Al-Arabiya News Channel; Nigel Parsons, Managing Director Al-Jazeera International; Keith Gardner, Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Science Cooperation, NATO; Vitaliy Tretyakov, Chief Editor, "Political Class" Magazine; Simon Anholt, Chairman Earthspeak (UK); Ariel Cohen, Senior research fellow, Heritage Foundation (USA); Akram Khouzam, Moscow Bureau Chief of Al-Jazeera Channel; Sergei Gretsky , Chair, Central Asian Studies, Foreign Service Institute, US Department of State; Gaby Rosenberg, President/CEO Jerusalem Capital Studios (Israel); Alexey Malashenko, Chairman of “Ethnicity” program at Carnegie Center in Moscow; Tyler Brl, Chairman Winkorp (UK); Irina Gerashenko, Spokesperson for the President of Ukraine; Jonathan Charles, BBC foreign correspondent; Mark Brayne, Director Europe, Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma; Julian Sher, Canadian producer, journalist and webmaster; Tim Arlott, Business Director, Reuters Television; Evgeniy Kozhokin, Director of the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies; Zeyno Baran, Director of International Security and Energy Programs, The Nixon Center (USA) and many others.

DISASTER IN ASIA
MEDIA LAW
TRAUMA AND JOURNALISM
REPORTING OF EXTREME TERRORIST INCIDENTS
TAMING THE INTERNET
REPORTING AIDS
COLOURFUL REVOLUTIONS IN POST-SOVIET COUNTRIES
THE ARAB MEDIA
BRANDING
THE CLARK-PERLE DOUBLE ACT
CONCLUSION

* John Owen-Davies is a former Reuters bureau chief and correspondent in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
** Stephen Somerville is Chairman, The Reuters Society and former Director of the Reuters Foundation.