[WSIS CS-Plenary] press / strategy

[Ralf Bendrath]

Even reuters does not get it yet: They call it the "world summit on
information technologies"...

Seems like we really need more press coordination. Remeber the press
team meeting on monday at 17:00. There will also be a strategy working
group meeting at 16:00. I will send details on the new strategy list
soon.

Ralf
 

Negotiators clear hurdles to Internet summit
Sun 7 December, 2003 12:38

By Richard Waddington

GENEVA (Reuters) - Envoys have struck last-minute deals on human rights
and managing the Internet to allay fears this week's world summit on
information technologies will become a battle between rich and poor
states, officials say.

Negotiators have been forced to call a round of preparatory talks for
the December 10-12 meeting in Geneva to be attended by over 60 heads of
state and government because of deep outstanding differences.

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) was called to help
close the "digital divide" between developed and developing countries,
but it quickly became embroiled in issues of press freedom and how to
administer the Web.

Some developing countries, including Brazil, had been pressing for
international organisations to have a leading role in operating the Web,
which is currently run by the private business community in developed
states.

On human rights, there were concerns that some states, amongst them
China and Iran, were trying to qualify the right to freedom of
expression by juxtaposing it with references about duties to the
community -- both of which are spelt out in the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights.

But late on Saturday, negotiators representing nearly 200 countries
reached agreement on two draft texts -- a declaration of principles and
an action plan -- to be put to their governments in Geneva.

The only outstanding question was whether countries would agree to
launch a special international fund to help poorer states, particularly
in Africa, finance the development of information technology networks.

"We do not agree on a few words about the financing but the two
declarations are 95 percent approved," said Swiss senior government
official Marc Furrer, who brokered the negotiations on behalf of the
host government.

He added, however, he was confident further discussions on the issue
ahead of Wednesday's start of the summit would resolve the issue.

"All are agreed that something needs to be done (to help poorer
countries)," he told a news conference.

Most of the heads of state and government will be coming from developing
countries. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder was one of the few
European leaders expected, but pulled out last week to attend to
domestic political matters.

The summit, held under the auspices of the United Nations, is the first
of two. A second will be held in Tunis in 2005.


-- 
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Dipl. Pol. Ralf Bendrath
Universität Bremen
Sonderforschungsbereich 597 "Staatlichkeit im Wandel"
Linzer Str. 9, D-28334 Bremen, Germany
Tel.  +49 (421) 218-8735
Fax   +49 (421) 218-8721
Mobil +49 (179) 2154614
http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~bendrath