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Rich and poor states split before Internet Summit
Genevea, Nov 15: Developed and developing nations were wide apart Saturday on managing the Internet and closing the digital divide between rich and poor at the end of what was meant as a final meeting before a world summit.
Genevea, Nov 15: Developed and developing nations were wide apart Saturday on managing the Internet and closing the digital divide between rich and poor at the end of what was meant as a final meeting before a world summit.
The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), to be held in Geneva December 10-12, was first proposed in 1998 at the height of the Internet boom, but two years of preparatory negotiations have failed to resolve many of the outstanding issues.
"There are still challenges. The differences have not been resolved," said one United Nations official after a week of talks ended late Friday.
A further previously unscheduled session has been called for December 5-6 in a bid to clear the way for 60 heads of state and government, including German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, to agree a declaration of principles and a plan of action.
Initially conceived as a way to help poorer countries to make better use of the Internet, and through it perhaps leap- frog some stages to economic development, the summit has since broadened to embrace many facets of the information society, including questions of press freedom and Net management.
Some developing states such as Brazil and India would like to see greater national or even supranational involvement in administering the Net, while many rich states are happy to see it left to the private sector.
"Developing countries will argue generally that governments do need to be involved, that it cannot simply be the private sector, and the private sector in some industrialized countries, to take the lead in how the Internet is governed," said Pierre Gagne, executive secretary of the WSIS organising secretariat.
In a world where half the population has never made a telephone call, there is also the question of how to finance investment in infrastructure and training needed to speed the spread of telecommunications' services and the Internet.
Many poorer states are pressing for the creation of a special "digital divide" fund, but richer countries remain to be convinced of the need, conference sources said.
"No decision will be taken on the establishment of a fund, but I think that there will be agreement to establish a mechanism that will come up with specific recommendations on what to do," added Gagne.
Other issues include how to handle pornography and spam -- unsolicited mail through the Net.
The summit, being held under the auspices of the United Nations, is the first of two. A second will be held in Tunis in 2005. Bureau Report
The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), to be held in Geneva December 10-12, was first proposed in 1998 at the height of the Internet boom, but two years of preparatory negotiations have failed to resolve many of the outstanding issues.
"There are still challenges. The differences have not been resolved," said one United Nations official after a week of talks ended late Friday.
A further previously unscheduled session has been called for December 5-6 in a bid to clear the way for 60 heads of state and government, including German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, to agree a declaration of principles and a plan of action.
Initially conceived as a way to help poorer countries to make better use of the Internet, and through it perhaps leap- frog some stages to economic development, the summit has since broadened to embrace many facets of the information society, including questions of press freedom and Net management.
Some developing states such as Brazil and India would like to see greater national or even supranational involvement in administering the Net, while many rich states are happy to see it left to the private sector.
"Developing countries will argue generally that governments do need to be involved, that it cannot simply be the private sector, and the private sector in some industrialized countries, to take the lead in how the Internet is governed," said Pierre Gagne, executive secretary of the WSIS organising secretariat.
In a world where half the population has never made a telephone call, there is also the question of how to finance investment in infrastructure and training needed to speed the spread of telecommunications' services and the Internet.
Many poorer states are pressing for the creation of a special "digital divide" fund, but richer countries remain to be convinced of the need, conference sources said.
"No decision will be taken on the establishment of a fund, but I think that there will be agreement to establish a mechanism that will come up with specific recommendations on what to do," added Gagne.
Other issues include how to handle pornography and spam -- unsolicited mail through the Net.
The summit, being held under the auspices of the United Nations, is the first of two. A second will be held in Tunis in 2005. Bureau Report