The President's Speech at the Opening of the Two-Day FCSJMMC

In the Name of Allah, the most Gracious, the most Merciful.

All praise is for Allah, the Lord of Worlds. The Holy Quran says: "(Proclaim! (or read!) in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created—Created man, out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood: Proclaim! And thy Lord is Most Bountiful, He Who taught (the use of) the pen," (Surah Al-Alaq verses 1-4).

May the praise and peace of Allah be upon the Prophet Muhammad [PBUH], his family, and Companions.

Dear Head and Members of the Preparatory Committee for the First Conference of Southern Journalists and Media Members (FCSJMM).

Dear Delegates, Guests, and All Attendees,

It is an immense pleasure to eminently welcome you to this press and media conference, in which mighty pens and free voices from all governorates of the beloved South meet to restore and publicize its union approximately after three decades of de-voicing and depriving of such a deserved right.

I am gladly taking the opportunity to warmly congratulate you on this grand achievement, which will have its outcomes in promoting the message of press and media in the South and in defending the rights and interests of the members of this sector, in spite of their various orientations and different political affiliations, or those who have been subjected to sidelining. We express our appreciation and gratitude for all the exerted efforts in preparing and arranging for this momentous event, whose details will definitely be preserved in the bright history of press and media in the South.

O, journalists and media professionals and members in the South, your current democratic triumph, as you assemble to forcefully take your professional right and prove your existence, brings back to the minds of your country and your people the victories you have fulfilled and the impacts you have made, as you have been defending, by using your free pens and right voices, the cause of your people, until it touched the ears of the world and you recorded its presence as a just political cause for the people who experienced all the scourges of injustice, oppression, occupation, and terrorism.

Definitely, the media of the South has made ultimate sacrifices in the battle to protect the homeland, its identity, and freedom, and it was the mirror that reflected the journaled peaceful struggle of our people, and its mighty voice, despite the scarcity of means, as it has been a comrade of the vigilant southern armed forces and the brave southern resistance in the battles of cleansing and liberating the country from the hordes of invaders, the forces of terrorism, and extremism, and conveying the whole picture of the victories.

Now, we proudly remember the immortal sacrifices of the southern media members, their national message, and their final sacrifices, as we respectfully stand to greet and honour the martyrs of the free southern media. In the forefront of them were the heroic martyrs like the international photographer, Mr. Nabil Hassan Al-Quaiti, journalist Ahmed Abu Saleh, and photographer Tariq Mustafa, together with media activists such as Mr. Rami Al-Barr, Mr. Khaled Askar, Mr. Ghaleb Libhash and many others, praying to Allah the Almighty to bestow on them His vast mercy and abode him in His paradise.

Dear all attendees,

At the present time, you are facing a pivotal moment in arranging the internal house of the southern press and actionizing the Union's work to achieve grand performance, broadcasting, and publishing in the various media institutions, foremost of which is the inoperative official media, despite its pioneerity at the level of the entire region and the Arab world.

Indeed, the elected members emanating from this conference bear a great responsibility of coordinating and communicating with the counterpart syndicates and unions, both Arab and international, foremost of which are the Federation of Arab Journalists and the International Federation of Journalists, to guarantee the presence of the southern press and media in international institutions and entities, in coincidence with the political efforts to restore the distinguished status and proactive presence of the South both at the Arabic and international levels.

Dear members of this conference,

Today, you are invited to properly assume the responsibility that you have been shouldered in establishing a new stage that hopefully pushes the wheel of press and media in line with the requirements of this delicate and difficult phase of the history of your country and the multipronged war, one of which is spreading rumours and lies in false media.

No doubt, the media and press of the South have achieved great success and taken advanced steps during the past period, from which we still await and expect much more. As we value all the pains, we reaffirm our full support for all activities, events, and fruitful efforts aimed at building the institutions of the state of the South and promoting their performance and broadcasting, foremost of which is the press and media.

Once again, we warmly greet and welcome you and wish you all the best in this conference.

Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you.