ANKARA
The former head of a leading international news network has said Anadolu Agency's (AA) launching broadcasts in Arabic was an important move.
Wadah Khanfar, former Director General of the Qatar-based Al Jazeera network and co-founder of the Arab Spring-inspired think tank The Sharq Forum, commented on various issues including the latest developments in the Arab world and AA's decision to launch an Arabic desk, in an exclusive interview with AA.
Expressing the importance of the effectiveness of regional media organs, Khanfar said, "We need to have regional media in the future, that is, a media that presents to the Turks what the Arab world is thinking, and a media that presents to the Arab world how Turkey is thinking."
Khanfar said any initiative that could open doors of communication between the nations of this region was of crucial importance.
"I do welcome Anadolu Agency's opening a bureau in Cairo and also a service in Arabic," he said.
Commenting on the media's role in Arab Spring, Khanfar said, "I do believe that media is very important. It used to be important before and during the revolution, but it is now also more important in post-revolution [period] during building constitutions and political institutions."
Pointing to the importance of a 'responsible media', Khanfar said media organs should neither support a specific political group, nor think about making money or profit.
Sharing his opinion regarding the motives behind the Arab Spring, Khanfar said the most important reason for such movement was the failure of the authoritarian regimes and governments in the Arab world to serve their people's interests.
"This is why people felt the need to come up with a new leadership," he said.
Regarding the situation in Syria, Khanfar said the Syrian regime had lost its legitimacy.
He said he could not imagine to what extent the al-Assad regime's preserving its position might harm the region, create civil wars and lead to instability.
More effort is needed to support Syrian people, he said.
"I believe the Arab world should, at this stage, regain confidence through governments that represent the interests of people and the collective consensus within the region itself about its future, identity, culture and so on. In the future, if people of this region decide to understand what exactly they would like to be and they would like to achieve, then we are going to find solutions to any problem we are facing," he continued.
Khanfar also commented on Turkey's position concerning the Syria issue and the Middle East.
Praising Turkey's recent proactive and positive role in the region, Khanfar said, the Arab world expected more from Turkey about the situation in Syria.
"I think Turkey, as a neighbor, has an interest in stability and democracy in Syria," he said.
He also said Turkey should do more to support the Syrian revolution and give the people of Syria the possibilities and means to defend themselves against the military of Bashar al-Assad.
Wadah Khanfar is the president of The Sharq Forum, an independent think tank dedicated to developing long-term strategies for political development, social justice and economic prosperity of the people of the Middle East.
He previously served as the Director General of the Al Jazeera Network, until he stepped down from his position in 2011. During his office, Al Jazeera went from a single channel to a media network with multiple properties.
Khanfar has been ranked first in Foreign Policy Magazine's list of 'Top 100 Global Thinkers' in 2011 and has been named as one of the most 'Powerful People in the World' by Forbes Magazine in 2009.
(Reporting by Halit Gulsen)
