BBC Monitoring

Text of press release from the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera Network on 1 September

Doha, Qatar, 1 September 2007: Al-Jazeera Network announced today that its Training and Development Centre will launch a training partnership with the Syrian International Academy. A senior Al-Jazeera delegation headed by the director-general of the Al-Jazeera Network, Wadah Khanfar and comprised of Abdullah al-Najjar, commercial director and Abdulaziz al-Horr, director of the Al-Jazeera Media Training and Development Centre visited the Academy to inaugurate this relationship.

For the first time since its inception in 2004, the Al-Jazeera Media Training and Development Centre will launch a number of training courses in Damascus starting from September 2007.

Abdulaziz al-Horr, director of the Training Centre said: "After four years of its existence, Al-Jazeera Training and Development Centre is now ready to expand globally. We have the experience and expertise to move forward and widen our scope of partnerships. In addition to the various courses and act! ivities we are initiating worldwide, the four courses our trainers are instigating in Damascus this weekend will mark the first step of this move in Syria"

Director-General of the Al-Jazeera Network, Wadah Khanfar commented on the visit: "I am delighted that in such a short time our Training Centre has achieved this much. It has attained an international status for the training of journalists and media professionals in the Arab world. This expansion will strengthen the Centre's ties in the Arab world and give broader access to Al-Jazeera's unique media approach."

Business meetings and seminars will also be held throughout the visit with media professionals and management of the Syrian International Academy.

Source: Al-Jazeera Network press release, Qatar, in English 1 Sep 07