Cairo, February 12, SPA -- During their extraordinary meeting held at the headquarters of the Arab League here today, the Arab Information Ministers issued a document on the Principles for Organizing Satellite Radio and Television Transmission in the region.
The document included twelve articles as follows:
Article (1): The document aims to regulate satellite transmission in the Arab region; to ensure respect for the right to express opinion; to spread culture; and activate cultural dialogue through satellite transmission.
Article (2) included the definition of the document's terminologies, including Satellite Transmission, Satellite Transmission Commission, Transmission Service, Program, Satellite Retransmission, Satellite Retransmission Commission, License of Satellite Transmission or Satellite, Radio or Television Retransmission, Licensee, License, Authorized, Ground Station, Wave, Channel, Satellite Transmission Frequencies, Encryption and State of Origin.
Article (3): These principles shall apply to Transmission Commissions in the Member States of the Arab League as well as all those who conduct transmission activities or provide transmission-related services.
Article (4): The Transmission Commissions and satellite transmission service providers shall commit to the following:
The information shall be public and transparent and the public's right to access to correct information shall be ensured.
Protecting Free Competition in the field of transmission services.
Protecting the rights and interests of the recipients of transmission services.
Provide the public with universal service.
Social peace, national unity, public order and public morals should not negatively be affected.
Complying with controls and patterns of transmission service and satellite retransmission.
Article (5): The transmission commissions and transmission service providers shall respect freedom of expression; commit themselves to the ethics of media profession; respect the principle of national sovereignty of each State on its territory; commit themselves to the principle of the mandate of the State of origin; commit themselves to the principle of freedom of receiving transmission and re-transmission; ensure the right of Arab citizens to follow-up major national, regional and international events especially sports; commit themselves to intellectual property rights; and commit themselves to allocate no less than 20% of Arabic programmes.
Article (6): The transmission commissions and transmission service providers shall respect human dignity in the entire contents of programmes and services offered; respect the privacy of individuals and refrain from violating it in any way; refrain from incitement to hatred or discrimination; refrain from transmitting any form of provokation of violence and terrorism with distinction between this and the right to resist occupation; refrain from describing all forms of crimes in a way that lures people to commit similar crimes; take into account the means and ethics of dialogue; take into account the rights of people with special needs to have access to appropriate information services; protect children from whatever affects their physical, mental or moral development; commit themselves to religious and moral values; refrain from transmitting whatever harms divine religions, messengers, sects and religious symbols; refrain from transmitting materials containing pornographic scenes or dialogues; and refrain from transmitting materials that encourage smoking and alcohol drinking.
Article (7): The transmission commissions and transmission service providers shall commit themselves to maintain Arab identity from negative impacts of globalization; enrich Arab personality; refrain from transmitting whatever endangers or contradicts the trends of Arab solidarity or the enhancement of cooperation and integration among Arab countries; commit themselves to objectivity and honesty through respecting the dignity of states, peoples and national sovereignty; commit themselves to manifest Arab talented people; commit themselves to use all capabilities offered by the technological development when transmitting radio and television programmes; and commit themselves to truth and accuracy of transmitted information, data and news.
Article (8): The transmission commissions and retransmission commissions shall commit themselves to explicitly refer to the advertisement at the beginning and end of the advertisement; commit themselves to have time intervals between every two advertisements; continuously and clearly displaying the word of "Advertisement" in the advertisement; and take into account international standards as regards the duration of the advertisement.
Article (9): The radio and television transmission commissions and satellite transmission service providers shall comply with schedules set out by a committee in charge of programme content control; and commit themselves to make clear the category of the programme and the viewers recommended age.
Article (10): Any ordinary person shall not conduct any transmission or retransmission activity or provide any service unless obtaining a license.
Article (11): Transmission commissions in Member States shall commit themselves to apply the principles contained in this document.
Article (12): The Member States shall develop necessary procedures in their domestic legislations to deal with cases of breach of the principles of this document.
© Saudi Press Agency 2008
