By Ahmad Jabr

KUWAIT: The government is keen on supporting legislations that promote freedom of the press in Kuwait, a senior state official said yesterday. Minister of Information and Minister of Culture Dr Hamad Ahmad Rouh El-Din made those remarks during a visit to the offices of Kuwait Times and Kuwait News yesterday, where he was received by Deputy Editor-in-Chief Abdullah Boftain.

Minister Rouh El-Din praised Kuwait Times as a pioneer among English-language dailies in the Gulf and an ambassador of Kuwait and the Gulf region. "Kuwait Times is the cradle of English journalism in Kuwait and the Gulf," the minister said, emphasizing the newspaper's role as a witness to history and a voice for Kuwait's non-Arabic-speaking community.

Meanwhile, Rouh El-Din highlighted the role that the Kuwaiti press plays and stressed the importance of supporting the local media to overcome challenges they face. "The press plays a very important role, especially at this time... and it is necessary that the press remains a partner of the government in the current phase," said the minister.

Journalism is an important component of democracy that Kuwait takes great pride in, Rouh El-Din said. "It is an inseparable part of tools to guide governmental and parliamentary work through constructive criticism and transparent coverage of political events and efforts to achieve the desired goals," he said.

Minister of Information Dr Hamad Rouh El-Din tours the offices of Kuwait Times and Kuwait News.

"We are examining the current laws and trying to reduce the differences between them" in order to create more freedom for the press, the minister said, pointing out a law recently passed in parliament which scrapped the temporary jailing of suspects in cases related to expression of opinion. "The general direction in Kuwait is now geared towards promoting more freedoms, but the process needs time to be properly organized," the minister said. "We realize that we cannot seek development in the country without more freedoms," he added, noting that his visit came to highlight the role of the press as partners.

In the meantime, Boftain expressed optimism in the direction the information ministry is taking towards promoting more freedoms under Rouh El-Din, who is an elected lawmaker. "You are from the people, and we are looking forward to see more freedoms in your tenure," he said. "It is very important that we don't take any steps backwards."

Minister of Information Dr Hamad Rouh El-Din holds a discussion with Deputy Editor-in-Chief Abdullah Boftain during his visit to the offices of Kuwait Times and Kuwait News.

Boftain also expressed readiness to cooperate with state media in order to achieve the desired goals. "We are ready to cooperate with KTV2 whether in terms of exchange of expertise or in any other way" that helps promote content of both media organizations, Boftain told the minister, who appreciated this suggestion and highlighted the potential of cooperation between the two.

Minister Rouh El-Din toured the various departments of Kuwait Times and Kuwait News during his visit, including the newsroom and printing press, where he met with the staff and was briefed on the process of work.