Calls for reconciliation in the plenary session of the Journalists’s Union

The journalists assembled in the location of the National Union of Journalists called for keeping their union and settling the existing conflict between the Extended Executive Bureau and the syndicate leader. The manifest issued after the plenary session maintained that the majority of intervenors demanded the settling of the conflict existing since the Union’s issue of its annual report on liberty of press in 4 May.
The session was held with attendance of many youth journalists and observers from The International Federation of Journalists. Naji Elbgouri pointed out that i twas impossible to hold this session in a public space because the resigned treasurer did not hand over her charge and this prevented the disposal of the Union’s money. Elbgouri spoke about the successive deviations which have occured since the beginning of the nineties in the Journalists’ Association especially its tresurer’s involvement in defalcation and bringing him to account with the Association president. He also pointed out to causes that led to freezing of the Union’s membership in the IFJ among them its lack of defence of liberty of press , its loyalty to Tunisian government, its giving of liberty of press prize to president Ben Ali, and backing him up in the previous presidential elections. Neji Elbgouri accused openly Tunisian government of its involvement in the attempt to overthrow the existing executive bureau poiting out that he subjected to pressures and attempts of bribery by sides that he did not mention them, but he maintained that he is ready for any concession that serves the syndicate’s unity. Younes Mjahed- a member of International Federation of Journalists- said that the Federation is adhering to the Union’s independence and settling its internal conflicts without interference of any external party insisting that the Federation Executive Bureau remains neutral towards this conflict and expressed his readiness to back up any initiative of reconciliation between the two parties. Members of the extended executive bureau doubted the legitimacy of the plenary session of 26 June because of the resignation of the fourth member of the executive bureau last week, but Elbgouri replied that this last resignation would be adopted only after