[WSIS CS-Plenary] a few WSIS articles 18-11-03

[Ronald Koven]

Herewith extracts and references to articles on WSIS, see also Washington
Times today.

Rony Koven

RE: a few WSIS articles 18-11-03
 
Internet Press Review (WSIS keyword) 18-11-03
============================
 
- Countries deeply split as information summit nears (FT, UK)
- Mbeki Wants Domain Names Discussed (All Africa)
- Rich and Poor States Split Before Internet Summit (Reuters)
- Differences remain ahead of UN information summit (Xinhua Net, China)
- Media: The stepchild of WSIS? (One World, UK)
- Still no consensus as world's first information summit nears (ABC,
Australia)
- A Steep Climb to the Information Society Summit (IPS News, US)
- Media under threat at UN summit (SABC News, South Africa)
 
=============================
Summaries and links below
=============================
 
Countries deeply split as information summit nears (FT, UK)
Negotiators from more than 140 countries have wound up what was intended as
a final preparatory session for next month's world information summit in
Geneva still deeply divided. The divisions are over managing the internet
and how to finance expansion of information and communication technologies
(ICT) in poor countries....
Mr Utsumi said the most difficult issues had proved to be those of internet
governance and how ICT development should be financed, where rich and poor
countries were far apart. Many developing countries are pushing for the
ITU,
or another intergovernmental organisation, to take over technical
management
of the internet from Icann, a non-profit association set up by the US
government to administer the internet address system. The US, backed by the
European Commission and some other industrialised countries, says the
existing system is working well, but others argue the internet is a public
resource that should be managed by governments. 
http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory
<http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory
&
c=StoryFT&cid=1066565957743> &c=StoryFT&cid=1066565957743
 
***
 
Mbeki Wants Domain Names Discussed (All Africa)
The issue of administering Internet domain names should be discussed at
next
month's world information summit in Geneva, "otherwise the world continues
to be governed by California law", says president Thabo Mbeki....Many of
the
poorer nations such as Brazil, SA, Saudi Arabia and China would like to see
the administration of Internet domain name registrations moved from the
public private company ICANN, which is incorporated under California law,
to
a multinational organisation such as the United Nations. However, the US
and
the European Union staunchly support the ICANN model.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200311170902.html
<http://allafrica.com/stories/200311170902.html> 
 
***
 
Rich and Poor States Split Before Internet Summit (Reuters)
...Initially conceived as a way to help poorer countries to make better use
of the Internet, and through it perhaps leap- frog some stages to economic
development, the summit has since broadened to embrace many facets of the
information society, including questions of press freedom and Net
management. Some developing states such as Brazil and India would like to
see greater national or even supranational involvement in administering the
Net, while many rich states are happy to see it left to the private sector.

 
<http://www.americasnetwork.com/americasnetwork/article/articleDetail.jsp?i
d
=76147>
http://www.americasnetwork.com/americasnetwork/article/articleDetail.jsp?id
=
76147
 
***
 
Differences remain ahead of UN information summit (Xinhua Net, China)
 Who controls the internet and how richer nations should subsidize the
growth of internet in poorer countries are still central issues dividing
members three weeks ahead of the first UN Summit on information technology.
...These issues are security, internet governance, financing of information
and communication technology for development as well as the role of media
and human rights issues. 
 <http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2003-11/17/content_1183438.htm>
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2003-11/17/content_1183438.htm
 
***
 
Media: The stepchild of WSIS? (One World, UK)
...The crux of the matter is not technology but information itself -
availability, appropriateness and dissemination. Governmental and civil
society participants at WSIS cannot afford to miss this crucial point. 
 <http://www.oneworld.net/article/view/72967/1/>
http://www.oneworld.net/article/view/72967/1/
 
***
 
Still no consensus as world's first information summit nears (ABC,
Australia)
..."I am a bit disappointed by the lack of progress we've had this week,"
Pierre Gagne said, executive director of the secretariat at the summit,
referring to five days of discussions that looked set to continue late into
Friday night and possibly Saturday. "There is a lack of will from
governments to negotiate certain issues," notably freedom of expression
over
the Internet, he told a news conference. "Unless there is a miracle, no
draft declaration will be adopted" during the preparatory talks this week. 
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s989807.htm
<http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s989807.htm> 
 
***
 
A Steep Climb to the Information Society Summit (IPS News, US)
...Among the matters of discord are the creation of a fund for reversing
the
digital divide, a demand of developing countries, and the inclusion of
references to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the WSIS final
documents, which some governments oppose.  The differences grow deeper when
it comes to the role of the communications media, Internet governance,
limits to intellectual property rights, copyright and free software, says
Wolfgang Kleinwaechter, an ICT expert and activist from Denmark's Aarhus
University.  As for human rights, the Chinese delegation objected to the
draft of the summit declaration because it includes binding provisions,
beyond the standards of the United Nations Charter, said an observer of the
sessions who spoke on condition of anonymity. The WSIS civil society media
group issued a statement of regret that the reaffirmation of freedoms of
expression and of the press had not been included in the drafts of the
declaration and action plan.(...) Failure to include the media would be
like
convening a conference on agriculture without farmers, says Tracey
Naughton,
head of the communications media group. 
http://www.ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=21121
<http://www.ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=21121> 
 
***
 
Media under threat at UN summit (SABC News, South Africa)
The role of the media has turned out to be one of the most divisive issues
in the preparatory process for the World Summit on the Information Society
(WSIS). The divisions on whether or not the media is a unique stakeholder
in
the Information Society are serious enough to block the consensus required
for a Draft Declaration to be presented to the heads of government at the
Geneva summit next month. Preparatory meetings in Geneva this week have
been
bogged down every time the role of the media and freedom of expression have
been raised. China argues that since the WSIS meeting is about the
Information Society, it is purely a technical meeting, and as such, the
media certainly has no special role to play. 
http://www.sabcnews.com/world/other/0,2172,69044,00.html
<http://www.sabcnews.com/world/other/0,2172,69044,00.html>