By Ahmed Elumami.
Tripoli, 9, September 2013:
The General National Congress is tightening up its relationship with the media, following an announcement by . . .[restrict]GNC President Nuri Abu Sahmain that statements should only be issued by official spokespeople.
Any statements not issued through official channels such as from sittings of Congress, the President of the Congress, the spokesman, or the Department of Public Information of Congress, will be deemed as “illegal and unfounded,” said Abu Sahmain.
He apparently stressed to the Public Information Department that any statements issued unofficially by Congress members were irresponsible.
“Abu Sahmain’s decision is very appropriate because it is natural that statements should be made by people authorised to speak with the media,” a member of Congress’ Information Committee, Mohamed Toumi, told the Libya Herald.
He added that many Congress members spoke freely in meetings or at social events, but that these instances reflected only their personal views.
There was no particular incident that had provoked this decision, Toumi explained, but there had been repeated media misunderstandings where the words of individual Congress members had been taken to reflect the opinion of Congress.
Abu Sahmain also said that anyone who made statements intended to undermine the security of Libya would be subject to legal accountability. [/restrict]
