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21:48 GMT
TUNIS, June 11 (KUNA) -- Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi on Tuesday called for more journalists support in order to carry out their message in the best way possible.
"There is no democracy without free media and free press," said Essebsi in a speech in which he officially opened the 30th conference of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), which is hosted by Tunisia.
The Tunisian President noted that the organization of this conference for the first time in the Middle East and Africa is an acknowledgment and support of the Tunisian democratic experience.
Essebsi expressed belief in the strategic partnership with the professional structures, especially the Journalists Syndicate, in order to improve the working conditions of the press.
The Tunisian President called for the legal and penal system development of all laws against freedom of publication, stressing his rejection of imprisonment of journalists, pointing out that the outcome of this conference will enhance the gains of the press in Tunisia and the world.
For his part, President of the Tunisian Journalists Union Naji Baghouri said that the Arab and African group within the IFJ supports the nomination of First Vice-President of the Union Younis Mujahid of Morocco for the post of President succeeding President Philip Loroth.
Tunisia is hosting for the first time in the Middle East and Africa the 30th Conference of the IFJ under the theme "Tunis Conference for a Free Press" with the participation of 300 union leaders representing 600,000 journalists.
IFJ is the world's largest organization of journalists, representing more than 600,000 journalists in 120 countries and working on international action to defend press freedom and social justice, an organization that speaks for journalists within the UN and within the global trade union movement. (end)
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