Jemstone (the European Union’s biggest media venture in the Middle East) has been suspended. We have had no funds from the commission for the last two months. The draft autumn programme circulated in Newsletter 13 has been canceled and the entire operation will close down at the end of the year unless we receive the next year’s expected funding before 24^th October.

Officials in Brussels are now saying they’ll make a decision on Jemstone’s future during September. If it’s positive we would still hope to run one or two events this year, with most of the rest in the first half of 1998, after Ramadan -- priority then being given to the vital Training-Managers course. We remain fairly optimistic.

The Project Director still intends to visit the national Jemstone organisations in all the countries of the region within the next few months, either to say goodbye or to discuss the plans for 1998; we will also maintain and improve the web-site. Most other aspects our work have stopped and the staff are leaving.. The main office here will continue to operate for the next few months.

Med Media relaunch: it now looks as if those other Med Media training programmes selected in autumn 1995 will finally be able to start operating in spring 1998. The European Parliament has recommended a limited relaunch of Med Campus, Med Urbs and part of Med Media and the commission is expected to agree.

Jemstone Magazine: if you have not yet received your copy of the 72-page, full-colour report on our last 18 months then fax your address to 00 962 6 819552. If you want additional copies then let us know (contributions towards distribution costs would be very welcome) and if you know of other people who should be sent copies please fax us their names and addresses.

Survival: we are exploring ways of staying in business whatever Brussels decides—providing training and consultancy and building links both within the region and with Europe. For example we are in negotiation with other organisations to run events jointly, including the World Bank, the European Broadcasting Union, the World Economic Forum, the Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung and the American group ‘Search for Common Ground’. We also have projects underway or planned in Yemen, Bahrain, Qatar and Lebanon. If you have other ideas, please contact us.

Newsletter: we will not send another Newsletter until we have firm news. It will either be giving details of the new programme or it will be asking you to try to persuade Brussels not to close down Jemstone. Check the web-site for the latest news. Thank you for all your support.

tl/2/9/97

[an error occurred while processing this directive]