Minister of Justice Ahmed Mekki said on Saturday that the preparation for a bill on the flow of information began today and is scheduled to be finalized by March.

Mekki added in a news conference aired on al-Jazeerah that "we agreed to establish a National Information Council."

He stressed that the right of access to information "is the right to knowledge, it is the basis of the right of expression."

He said that there is an agreement to provide computers and electronic networks to support service of the flow of information, stressing that the World Bank expressed its objection to the imposition of any fees on this service as "it is a right to all citizens that must be guaranteed by the state."

Mekki explained that the ministry has put preliminary ideas, and that they need specialized volunteers during the preparation of this draft law.

The Minister of Justice had said earlier that the law will be subjected to a broad societal dialogue before being approved.

Media experts said that this law was tainted with restricting the right to control the information system and its use only to the legislative and executive authorities which means limiting the exercise of this right to the government.

In addition to granting the president the right to choose three people in the committee supervising the flow of information.