Iran moots international NAM news agency

IRAN: Iran plans to accomplish one of the main objectives of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) since its inception by launching the movement’s international news agency.

Mohammad Sheikhan, deputy head of the 16th NAM summit for public relations and communications, said in a Tuesday briefing in the Iranian capital city, Tehran, that the establishment of the news agency has long been an unfulfilled objective of the NAM.

“Since Iran assumes the presidency of the NAM for the next three years, we plan to establish the news agency and the decision will soon be put into action,” he said.

The 16th summit of the NAM member states will be held on August 26-31 in the Iranian capital, Tehran, during which the Islamic Republic will assume the rotating presidency of the movement for three years.

Sheikhan expressed Iran's readiness to provide media coverage for the summit and noted that Tehran will prepare all the equipment required by the press. NAM, an international organization with 120 member states and 21 observer countries, is considered as not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc.

The organization was founded in the former Yugoslavia in 1961. NAM's purpose, as stated in the Havana Declaration of 1979, is to ensure “the national independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of non-aligned countries.”

PRESS TV