Published: August 12, 2005

Baghdad Press Center Control handed over to Iraqis

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Ambassador Khalilzad calls free press a key to democracy

The United States transferred control of Baghdad’s international press center to the Iraqi government August 9 in what U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad characterized as a step for Iraq toward building the institutions of democracy.

"The role of information -- objective facts, impartial analysis, fair presentation of competing views -- is at the heart of the deliberations of democratic politics," Khalilzad said at the handover ceremony.

The international press center has been a hub of activity for Iraqi and foreign journalists working in Baghdad since it opened in February 2004. Upon transferring control of the center to Iraq, the United States supplied it with additional computers and office equipment, tripling its initial capacity.

Khalilzad saluted the Iraqi journalists for their courage in the face of security threats and said the United States wants to support them in their work. "In handing over this center, we seek to give the journalists of the new Iraq important elements of the infrastructure needed so they can succeed in their vital work," he said.

The ambassador also called on Iraqi leaders to ensure protection of press freedom in Iraq’s new constitution. "As Iraq’s democratic system takes shape, the news media must play this vital role, but it can only do so if the right conditions exist. A legal framework protecting the right of freedom of speech and press must exist in the constitution," he said.

Source: U.S. Department of State