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NNA - The National News Agency represented by its Director, Laure Sleiman Saab, signed on Thursday a memorandum of cooperation with the Chairman of TAG-org, Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, in a bid to attain development in the field of information and technical services, as well as at the level of improving human resources within the Ministry of Information.

The cooperation memo was signed in the presence of MP Jean Ogassapian, Chairman of the National Media Council Abdel-Hadi Mahfouz, Director-General of the Ministry of Information Dr. Hassan Falha, Advisor of the caretaker Minister of Information, Andre Qassas, as well as concerned officials and dignitaries.

The MoI's Director General delivered a statement on this occasion whereby he welcomed "this step initiated by the Director of the National News Agency, Laure Sleiman - upon the approval of Minister Walid Daouk - to sign this agreement with one of the most essential organizations within the private sector."

"This agreement has more than one indication, on top of which having achieved cooperation between the public and the private sectors," Falha said.

"The National Agency is known for being one of the key agencies in the Arab world. It has a pioneering role as it was created and established before any other in the Arab world. It is famous for its objectivity, expertise and good management which empowered it to remain in the first place. Your Organization, however, managed to stretch to the entire world and proved good management for the private sector's productivity and effectiveness," Falha went on.



"What we are witnessing today is a twinning between the two sectors; a twinning that achieves strategic objectives at the level of the Arab countries," he said, assuring that the main goals are to attain integration between the public and private sectors and re-produce the true image of the Arab world.

The Director General believed that "this agreement could be a prelude for other memos to be circulated throughout the Arab world," thanking Sleiman for her unyielding efforts and Minister Daouk for granting the approval to proceed with this agreement.

He finally praised the endeavors of Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh to promote media and non-media work within the Arab States.

The Director of the NNA also spoke on this pleasant occasion, welcoming Abu-Ghazaleh in Beirut "which never ceases to open its arms for every man of though, knowledge and culture."

"It is true that we are suffering terrorism, but what is also true is that Beirut will remain a mosaic of civilizations and a source of inspiration to poets," Sleiman said at the beginning of her speech.

"We meet today to sign with the Chairman of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization a memorandum of understanding in the fields of development of media and technical services, as well as human resources. This collaboration falls within the framework of cooperation agreements signed with different Arab and international news agencies," she explained.

"Some may wonder how it is feasible to sign a cooperation agreement with a private company, in our capacity as news agency affiliated with the Ministry of Information, hence the public sector. I would like to confirm, in this context, that this agreement comes as an embodiment of our belief in the necessity to boost cooperation between the public and the private sectors, especially that Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Associates Limited is a Lebanese company known for its long history in serious institutional work."