Dutch Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal says he believes that the one remaining task of RNW in the future - proclaiming freedom of speech in countries where freedom of expression is under pressure - is “extremely important“.
Speaking earlier today on domestic radio, Mr Rosenthal also said he expects that the allocated budget of 14 million euros will be sufficient for this task. Almost half the amount - 6 million euros - will come out of the budget for development cooperation. This indicates that it’s “a package“, said the minister.
Mr Rosenthal also said that nobody should worry that RNW will lose its independence when it comes under the wing of Foreign Affairs. He pointed out that he has always stressed the importance of free and independent media, and therefore it would be crazy for RNW to fall under the control of a govermment department. He also said that he’s confident that RNW has a future in its new form.
(Source: RNW News via Media Network Weblog)
No comments:
Post a Comment