State official calls for better ties with media

A government spokesman in The Gambia has called for the administration and the media to reconcile "so that together we can maintain the peace and stability that we all have come to cherish". The spokesman, Momodou Jallow, was quoted on Friday by 'The Independent' of Banjul as saying that peace and stability were essential for the development of The Gambia and the sub-region. The Gambia has an independent press but reporters are occasionally harassed by security forces. Jallow, who is chairman of the Government Spokesperson's Committee, agreed that news conferences were needed to answer questions put to the government but said they would not always be possible. "A government that also wants to talk less and work more cannot all the time just be calling press conferences to answer one charge or another, or to clarify one rumour or another," he said. The Justice Ministry reported on Friday that the authorities were continuing to investigate an arson attack against the independent Radio 1FM earlier this month. "The Gambia government unreservedly condemns such illegal acts of vandalism," the ministry said in a statement.