BELGRADE WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY CELEBRATION ENDS WITH ADOPTION OF DECLARATION

BELGRADE, May 4 (Hina) - The central celebration of World Press Freedom Day ended in Belgrade on Monday night with the adoption of a declaration expressing support to the media in conflict areas and in countries in transition.#L# This year's "Guillermo Cano" Press Freedom Award was presented to a representative of Cuban journalist and poet Raul Rivero Castaneda, who has been serving a 20-year prison term in Cuba since 2003. The award was presented to the jailed reporter's representative Miguel Angel Sanchez Reyes by UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura. The declaration, adopted after a two-day international conference attended by some 150 journalists from around the world, representatives of international organisations and Serbian political figures, underlined the importance of the independence of the media in Serbia-Montenegro for peace and reconciliation. The document also urged authorities to respect the freedom of media organisations in areas under their administration, including in time of conflict. Participants in the conference urged UNESCO to strengthen its role as a coordinator of support to media initiatives in conflict and post-conflict areas. (Hina) vm