The EBU has met the Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU) and the Mediterranean audiovisual association Copeam on the sidelines of Copeam's 17th General Assembly, to discuss enhanced cooperation among Member broadcasters in the Mediterranean area.

More than two dozen countries were represented at this year's general assembly of the Permanent Conference of the Mediterranean Audiovisual Operators (Copeam), which was held in Cyprus from May 12 to May 15, at the kind invitation of Cypriot public broadcaster CYBC.

The guests of honour at this year's assembly were the Tunisian national broadcasters, including Tunisian radio, represented by its president Habib Belaïd.

Mr Belaïd, an outspoken dissident under the former regime, was appointed to the post by the Tunisian interim government last February. He gave an poignant speech calling for international support and praising people of the southern Mediterranean rim who had taken a stand for democracy.

Saturday's discussions centred on the role of new and traditional media in the transformation under way in some North African and Middle Eastern countries. And the EBU Radio Department's Head of News, Sport & New Radio, Michael Mullane, gave a speech on radio innovation in the newly opened media landscape.