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Negotiators clear hurdles to Internet summit

By Reuters
Geneva, 08 Dec 2003

Envoys struck last-minute deals on human rights and managing the Internet to allay fears that this week`s world summit on IT would become a battle between rich and poor states, officials said Sunday.

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) was called to help close the digital divide between developed and developing countries, but it quickly became embroiled in issues of press freedom and how to administer the Web.

Negotiators were forced to call a round of preparatory talks for the 10 to 12 December meeting in Geneva to be attended by over 60 heads of state and government because of deep outstanding differences.

Some developing countries, including Brazil, had pressed for international organisations to have a leading role in operating the Web, which is run by the private business community in developed states.

On human rights, concerns arose that some states, among them China and Iran, were trying to qualify the right to freedom of expression by juxtaposing it with references about duties to the community -- both of which are spelt out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

But late Saturday, negotiators representing nearly 200 countries reached agreement on two draft texts -- a declaration of principles and an action plan -- to be put to their governments in Geneva.

On Internet management, states agreed to ask United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan to set up a working party to investigate and report back by 2005, when a second summit will be held in Tunis.

The only outstanding question was whether countries would agree to launch a special international fund to help poorer states, particularly in Africa, finance the development of information technology networks.

"We do not agree on a few words about the financing but the two declarations are 95% approved," said Swiss senior government official Marc Furrer, who brokered the negotiations on behalf of the host government.

He said he was confident further discussions on the issue ahead of Wednesday`s start of the summit would resolve the issue.

"All are agreed that something needs to be done [to help poorer countries]," he told a news conference.

Most heads of state and government attending the summit will be coming from developing countries. German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder was one of the few European leaders expected, but pulled out last week to attend to domestic political matters.

(Editing by Lisa Vaughan; Reuters Messaging: richard.waddington.reuters.com@reuters.net)

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