KABUL, April 1 (Xinhuanet) -- To regulate media activities in the post-war country, Afghan President Hamid Karzai had signed a presslaw ahead of the international donors' conference in Berlin, a United Nations spokesman said here Thursday.

    "His Excellency President Karzai before leaving for Berlin singed the media law to provide support for the freedom and the promotion of the media and ensure access to information on government issues for journalists," Edward Carwardine told reporters at a news briefing.

    Afghan president, as the head of a ranking delegation, attendedthe Berlin conference Wednesday to seek international community's sustainable support for rebuilding his post-Taliban war-shattered country.

    Participants at the two-day donors' conference, which concludesThursday, have pledged 4.4 billion US dollars for Afghanistan's current fiscal year ending on March 20 next year.

    The 43-article law, the UN official said, is an amended form ofthe original act approved in 2002 that permits print media to start activities before receiving license from the government.

    Under the previous law enacted on 2002, the print media began unprecedented mushroom growth and, according to officials, over 260 newspapers, weeklies and periodicals began publishing in the post-Taliban country.

    In today's Afghanistan, both the print and electronic media have been on the rise and so far at least three private radio broadcasting corporations and one television channel are competingthe state-run radio and television.

    The fundamentalist Taliban, which was overthrown in late 2001 under a US-led military campaign, used to ban electronic and free print media as un-Islamic during its six-year reign in major partsof Afghanistan.

    "Publishing any issue which is being considered insulting to Islam or any other religion is forbidden," stressed the spokesman.

    Early last year, a Kabul-based publication "Aftab" or "Sun" was banned for publishing a controversial article considered a blasphemy to Islam and its editor was arrested.

    It would also not allow any comments or statements considered to be dishonorable to individual personalities to be published, headded.

    The new press law would come into effect immediately after its publishing by the Ministry of Justice, "unfortunately we do not have an exact timeframe," the spokesman concluded. Enditem