[WSIS CS-Plenary] News on future sessions and Other issues discussed with WSIS ES

[wsis at iprolink.ch]

Dear all,

Please find below the decisions and work plan of the up-coming WSIS 
negotiation
groups and PrepCOm-3 meetings, further to WSIS Intergovernmental Bureau (held
on 7 Oc. 2005) and the meeting we had this afternoon with the WSIS ES.

¡ñ Meetings of the Ad Hoc Negotiation Groups
The Ad Hoc Negotiation Groups, mandated by PrepCom-3, would meet in Geneva
between 24 and 28 October in Room XVIII or Room XX (Palais des Nations).
The work programme would be as follows:
 From Monday 24 to Tuesday 25 (and maybe Wednesday Morning): Political Chapeau
and Chapter Two (Financing)
 From Wednesday 26 to Friday 28: Chapter 1 and 4 (Implementation and 
Follow-up).

It was reminded that this process would be governmental only. However,
Ambassador Karklins made it clear during the Bureau Meeting that he would
inform the observers on a daily basis. The format of this information sharing
promised by the Chairman was not established.

The idea of the work of these negotiation groups would not be to add new text
but only to find a consensus of on existing bracketed text. Therefore there
would not be any possibility to make new input and the WSIS received no 
mandate
to provide any new compilation of inputs.

¡ñ Resumed session of PrepCom-3 in Tunis
PrepCom-3 would be reconvened on 13 November in Tunis at 10:00. The 
location of
this meeting is not yet established (probably in a hotel, but certainly not in
the Kram Exhibition Center). Even though it would aim at finalizing
negotiations, following the procedures and format of PrepCOm-3, Mr. Geiger
stressed that because of time and material limitations, it must be noted that
this reconvened PrepCom-3 would not be full-fledged preparatory committee.

The expected work plan would be as follows:
-	Organisational Plenary Meeting (13 November, 10:00)
-	Sub-Committee A (Chapter Three on Internet Governance): Observers would be
able to take the floor during the formal meetings of Sub-Committee A, which
would then go in working groups to draft and finalise the text. We cannot
predict at this stage how open or closed those working groups would be for
observers, since no decision was taken by the Bureau.
-	Sub-Committee B (other issues): we would follow the same format of a formal
session followed by working groups.
-	Closing session of PrepCom-3, to be organised on 15 November.


Other issues:
-	Fellowship ¨C Renate Bloem evoked the question of fellowship for CS
participants in Tunis, and it was agreed that CONGO should send a 
letter to the
ITU SG requesting fellowships for CS. Information on fellowships from the
Tunisian Government and funding through UNDP Tunis was not available yet.
-	Connectivity ¨C Charles Geiger asserted that non filtered access is a major
priority for the WSIS ES, and he guaranteed that Internet connection would not
be filtered both in the Kram Center and in the Hotels.
-	Document importation ¨C The ITU document policy document would be published
this week. Document checking at the Kram Center would be performed by 
ITU or UN
staff.