[WSIS CS-Plenary] Letter to Kofi Annan: demande de clarification

[maseger at t-online.de]

Dear Andrew,
THANK YOU SO MUCH for your answer to our "Letter to KOFI ANNANA 'demande de clarification - by Djilali'".
I fully support and underline "It is also a tactic likely to be copied by others (m.w.: other nations) if it is not effectively exposed and countered."
Let us NOT forget what happended in Tunis! "We have an ongoing responsibility...."

WSIS has not been my only U.N. World Summit/Conference/Congress. 
For example, I remember well incidents at the U. N. World Conference on Women, Beijing/China, in 1995, (where the NGO Women's FORUM had been placed, last minute, 60 km outside Beijing).
Not quite to compare the GONGOs at that time, and not quite the "aggresive use by the Tunesian authorities of security agents...", but in this line.  

MARIANNE

Marianne Seger
permanent NGO observer to the U.N. New York and Genenva
for EURAG, Europe
(www.eurag-europe.org)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Andrew Anderson" <andrewanderson at frontlinedefenders.org> schrieb:
> [Please note that by using 'REPLY', your response goes to the entire list. Kindly use individual addresses for responses intended for specific people]
> 
> Click http://wsis.funredes.org/plenary/ to access automatic translation of this message!
> _______________________________________
> 
> Dear Djilali,
> 
> The Tunis phase of the WSIS is past but unfortunately the threat posed 
> by the Tunisian authorities to civil society is ongoing.
> 
> The Tunisian authorities continue to repress civil society in Tunisia. 
> Given the failure of the international community to address this issue 
> adequately in advance of the WSIS we have an ongoing responsibility as 
> international civil society to work in support of independent Tunisian 
> civil society.
> 
> The aggressive use by the Tunisian authorities of security agents and 
> other government representatives under the cover of Tunisian Government 
> controlled GONGOs (Government Organised NGOs) to harass and intimidate 
> legitimate Tunisian civil society representatives, and to block or 
> disrupt the activities of international civil society is also an ongoing 
> threat. It is also a tactic likely to be copied by others if it is not 
> effectively exposed and countered.
> 
> It is therefore heartening to see that so many credible representatives 
> of civil society have already signed up to the appeal.
> 
> With best wishes,
> 
> Andrew
> 
> Andrew Anderson
> Deputy Director
> Front Line
> The International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
> 16 Idrone Lane, off Bath Place, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland
> 
> Tel. 00353-1-212-37-50
> Fax. 00353-1-212-10-01
> mob. 00353-87-205-6867
> www.frontlinedefenders.org
> 
>------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
> djilali benamrane wrote:
> >
> >Very dear Karen,
> >Please let me know if this call for endorsement is
> >issued and published on behalf of the Citizens's
> >Summit or WSIS Civile society Bureau that you lead
> >with efficiency and transparency !
> >I have absolutely nothing against the call for
> >endorsment and the Citizens's Summit, i fully respect
> >those who sugn it, but remenber i plaided during the
> >Officiel Summit for the need to try to protect the
> >unicity of the civile society and such a practice
> >risks to fragilize in the future our so faible
> >componient.

> >Je pensais que le retour des promoteurs du Sommet
> >citoyen au sein du sommet officiel, salué avec
> >enthousiasme en séance plénière de la société civile,
> >le troisième et dernier jour de la rencontre, marquait
> >le retour à l'unicité de la société civile participant
> >au sommet et certains membres du sommet citoyen ont
> >été mandatés démocratiquement pour participer à la
> >conférence de presse au nom de l'ensemble de la
> >société civile. Ils se sont exprimés en toute liberté.
> >Je salue le courage de ceux qui ont pris la
> >responsabilité de se mettre à l'extérieur du sommet
> >officiel parce qu'ils pensaient ne pas pouvoir
> >s'exprimer librement à l'intérieur mais je revendique
> >le respect de ceux qui ont cru et oeuvré pour essayer
> >de faire bouger petitement les choses de l'intérieur.
> >Le sommet officiel aurait pu exploser si les milliers
> >de représentants de la société civile étaient sortis.
> >Ils ne l'ont pas fait pour diverses raisons : peur
> >d'être exécutés sur place ?, peur de perdre un statut
> >d'allègeance au pays hôte ? peur de perdre son âme ?
> >sa sérénité ? de se faire manipuler ?

> >I do think that the position of the Civile society has
> >been efficiently assessed by our relevant
> >representative at the openning meeting. Please, Tunis
> >is now in the past, let's forget the past and mobilize
> >our energy to built the future, including our pression
> >against no democratic powers all arrond the world....
> >All the best
> >Djilali    
> >