Tuesday, November 22 2005 12:20 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kualampur: Non Aligned Movement member countries today (Nov 22, 2005) unanimously agreed to revitalise their news agencies Pool by replacing it with a new mechanism called the NAM News Network, giving each nation the right and freedom to "tell its own story".

Welcoming Malaysia's proposal to replace the Pool with a new mechanism, information ministers and senior officials of over 70 countries said in a declaration at the end of the 6th Conference of Ministers of Information of Non Aligned Countries (COMINAC) that the network will affect a more sustained and efficient flow of news and information among member nations and other developing countries.

India was represented at the conference by P K Tripathi, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

The ministers noted that despite efforts by the Iranian News Agency's (IRNA) to make the Non Aligned News Agencies Pool a success "it has for many years been inactive due to declining support from member countries."

The Kualalumpur Declaration on Nam Information and Communication Collaboration said members should urgently take advantage of the decreasing costs of communications and easy access to internet services worldwide to increase information linkages among them.