[WSIS CS-Plenary] Additional Comments on the Intersessional Negotiation Group

[conchita poncini]

First of all, I wish to refer you to Jettre Madsen and Philippe Dam's report for today Tuesday 25 Oct.,  .

I have a few remarks to make.

The Chair announced that NGOs were not allowed to sit in even in silence.  So NGOs as visible as ourselves had to leave the room.  

Secondly, while there were more texts agreed upon today, some governments backtracked on agreed language despite the plea of the Chair not to as a matter of principle and for want of time.  A specific one wason para.27 of Rev Chapter Two. The real issue here was on new and adequate finances and not deviating resources from existing ones, rather than approaches (Egypt's comment).  And also the need to have responses and support - in other words  promptness and accessability of financiaI support from North/South and N/S and S/S coopeation were needed. .Another para were there was danger of backtracking was para 39 when the U.S. wanted to include Civil Society for the purpose of "style"., and some governments found this as an opening to introduce new language.  So the Chair stressed the necessity not to reopen agreed paragraphs, in which case the U.S. withdrew this proposal in order to keep the agreement. 

With regards to Para 21 of Rev. Chapter Two, in our briefing with the UK (EU), the idea of transfer of technology was acceptable but not the issue of supporting financial investments but  not its sustainabiloity.  She also welcome new language from other stakeholders and said she will allude to this in tomorrow's session.       

iOn specific paragraphs, 32 and 33 of the Political Chapeau, trade libralization was considered to be a specialized subject that the WSIS had no competence in and should be left to the Finance Ministries (Venezuela specifically stated that they were pre-empting the Hongkong Ministerial Conference which outcome was still unknown.  I sense that this issue will either deleted or left in brackets till Tunis.     

With regard to 34 and 35, the problem is with the U.S. that did not want to use the word protect cultural expression which is in the newly adopted UNESCO Convention but preferred to keep preserve and insert indigenous  and local languages.

Since it willo be a close session from now on, we shall havde to depend on the briefings by the Chair in the morning and by the UK in the evening.

Conchita 

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