[WSIS CS-Plenary] Re: press statement (again) - CS critique - what next?

[Ralf Bendrath]

Arne and all,

just a brief clarification to one point:

> 2. In our response to the draft declaration, we have agreed on basic
> principles, which were emphasised as "non-negotiables" by the
> content&themes group, 
(...)
> How do we define exactly when the borderline
> regarding these "non-negotiables" is crossed, 

Just for the sake of empirical data - as I wrote in my final commentary
on the PrepCom on Friday night: 

"The numerous inputs from civil society made over the last two weeks and
before have not led to many results. A group of volunteers had already
shown for a previous version of the draft declaration that only a small
number of civil society inputs and suggestions had been reflected in the
document. Yesterday night, PrepCom president Adama Samassekou had
approached the chairs of civil society´s content and themes group and
asked for a list of essentials that would make sure civil society can
support the final summit declaration. The short list handed over to him
later in the evening consisted only of the „non-negotiables“. These are
the really essential demands from civil society groups and are only an
extremely small part of all the suggestions made over the last year. Of
these 31 proposals, only 4 - that is 13 per cent - have been included in
the latest draft declaration. 42 per cent – 13 proposals – have been
rejected, and more than half of them – 55 per cent or 14 suggestions -
are still not agreed upon with little chance of getting them through."
(http://www.worldsummit2003.org)

So much for the facts. I think we can seriously decide this after
PrepCom3A, when the unclear situation of the remaining square brackets
will have to be solved.

But I agree: We should _think_ about an exit-strategy before...

Ralf