Voice of America (VOA) will launch a new 24-hours Arabic language radio service directed mainly at youngsters, an American official said yesterday.

"We will have a voice that would set an example of the American tradition of free press. We will be the voice of the people of the U.S. rather than that of the government," Governor Norman Pattiz of U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) told Gulf News yesterday.

"It is important for us to have this ability in this region where we have been underserving for years," explained Pattiz referring to the daily 7-hour shortwave broadcast by the Arabic service of the VOA network.

In a ceremony attended by Bahrain's Minister of Infor-mation Nabeel Al Hamer, Pattiz signed an FM Frequency Assignment and Licence Agreement with Bahrain Radio and Television Corporation (BRTC). Executive Director of the BRTC Khalil Al Thawadi signed the agreement for Bahrain.

The agreement will allow programmes of the new American broadcast service, Middle East Radio Network (MERN), to be broadcast on FM from Bahrain. MERN will also be broadcast on FM from Dubai and Doha, Gulf News learnt.

"The agreement marks new vistas of cooperation in the field of communications between the two countries," the U.S. Embassy said in a statement issued here yesterday.

Pattiz told reporters that "the initial broadcast will begin shortly, perhaps in the next three to four weeks." However, the 24-hour full broadcast will not start before at least mid-summer, he said.

"It is very important to have such an expanded service to foster mutual understanding," added Pattiz who described the project as the first extended service to the Gulf region.

He nevertheless denied any impact of the September 11 attacks in the U.S. on the project. "In fact we have projected this long before September 11. It is a research-driven project. It is important to have an American media that is actually listened to in this region," Pattiz said.

He emphasised that MERN's "mission is to provide accurate and credible news reports. We will offer programmes that people will want to listen to."

Mowaffaq Harb, MERN's News Director, told Gulf News that the Washington-based service will be music oriented broadcast directed exclusively to young generation listeners with a lot of news reporting.

"These reports will be done by independent journalists and will not be affected by the U.S. government views," he said.