TEHRAN - On the sidelines of the First International Conference on Islamic Media, Hashemi Lolenji, an Afghan expert in political affairs, who is also a member of Afghanistan's Central Council and a former advisor to former Afghan president Burhannudin Rabbani, said in an interview with the TEHRAN TIMES, that the Islamic media are a great power, but that, unfortunately, there is no coordination and cooperation among them.

He also said that some Islamic media do not even want to cover ongoing developments in Palestine because of their political relations with the United States and the Zionist regime.

Lolenji also said that the issue of Palestine is not only related to the Palestinians, but is also a matter of concern for all Islamic countries, adding that Islamic countries should cooperate to achieve the victory of the Palestinian Intifada. Otherwise, if the Palestinian Intifada is defeated, the Zionist regime may achieve its evil ends.

In regard to such conferences, he said that if the Islamic media unite and cooperate with each other they can influence public opinion and that when the public becomes aware of the realities in the occupied territories, their reaction will definitely influence Israeli policies.

He also said that Muslims all over the world should cooperate to put an end to the atrocities in Palestine. Lolenji also referred to the remarks of the Leader, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, who said that Palestine should be a secure land for Palestinians.

Hashemi Lolenji said that if the Islamic media cooperate with each other more than ever before and if they try to influence public opinion by reporting the real news about what is going on in the world, the West would not be able to label Muslims as terrorists.

The West's objective in calling Muslims terrorist is to character assassinate and disarm the world's Muslims. By disarming we do not mean seizing their weapons, but disarming in terms of cultural, communications, and political affairs. He added that Bin Laden, who is accused of masterminding the terrorist attacks on the U.S., was in fact created by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

On the sidelines of the conference, a reporter of the Syrian News Agency, Salah Mohammad Ali, said that the Islamic media should strengthen their cooperation with each other in order to make the public aware of the Zionists' atrocities in Palestine. He said that information dissemination plays a major role in influencing public opinion and that public opinion can effect developments in the world. He also expressed his appreciation of Iran's initiative to sponsor the conference, saying that similar conferences can lead to satisfactory results.

Meanwhile, a member of the Board of Lebanese Journalist Order Tresorier, Joseph Kosseifi, said that the Arab and Islamic media are definitely not realizing their potential. He said that they should reflect the activities of the Palestinian Intifada in the occupied territories, and they are not reflecting the real danger of Israel to the Palestinians and the Islamic world.

Kosseifi said that the Islamic media are just covering the news of what is going on in Palestine, but that is not enough, because their nations are Muslim themselves and are well aware of the fact that the Israelis are occupiers. They should inform the rest of the world. He added that the Islamic media should show the world, especially non-Muslims, the real image of the Zionists in a language that the world understands.

Kosseifi said that for the past 40 years, Islamic countries have only discussed the issue of Palestine and condemned Israeli atrocities among themselves, but the fact is that the Islamic media should try to develop a new method to show the world the real danger and threat of the Zionist regime.

Also, Rashad Salameh, the first vice president of the Lebanese Kateb Party, said that the issue of Palestine is the main issue in the Islamic world, adding that part of our struggle against the Zionist regime is carried out by the Islamic media, so Muslim states should help them and enable them to confront the Western media that are supported and controlled by Israel.

He said that no matter what happens in Palestine, Zionist atrocities are never covered by the Western media, but that whenever an Israeli is wounded, it is exaggerated and covered by the Western media and used to pressure the Palestinians.

Such conferences can help strengthen cooperation among the Islamic media all over the world, so that the voice of the Palestinian Intifada is heard by all nations of the world, by those who believe in the values of the Intifada.

He said that the Islamic media should develop cooperation, adding that they have the necessary courage to do so but that the required facilities should be provided for them.