[WSIS CS-Plenary] khan's reaction to our protest statement

[Ralf Bendrath]

Hi all,

Karklins just announced that the official decision with regards to our 
participation would be the "talk and walk" option. Directly afterwards, 
Civil Society asked for the floor, and Avri read the prepared protest 
statement.

Everybody was listening closely, and you could feel how shocked and moved 
some of the government delegations were. The reaction by chairman Khan was 
really telling. Here are some soundbytes I was able to write down:

"We have to work together as members of the same family"
"This is about new relationships"
"in this spirit we should work together"

and even more interesting:

"I will try to keep most business in plenary, giving the observers maximum 
opportunity to be involved and make statements"
"In the meeting with the chairs of drafting groups I will host right now 
will address this point"
"your concerns have been heard by all delegations here"

The timing of our statement was excellent, and the message came across 
extremely clear. They have understood it - let's see how they react. My 
bet is that China will get under heavy pressure now.

Ralf