[governance] Canada=>Forum

[William Drake]

Hi from the drafting committee,

We met today with EU, like minded states, and Canada, on the forum.  The
latter tried to suggest that perhaps we weren't understanding their
position, but the discussion made clear that we understood it perfectly
well, and we said we didn't like it.  Anyway, it's now off the table,
replaced by Kahn's own text, which basically a) incorporates a number of
our points and parallel ones in the WGIG report, and b) is generally
pretty good.  Main departure from our position is that it would be under
the UN rather than legally free standing, but we knew that'd happen.  Can
live with it under the SG, but not, as we said, under "any existing
specialized international organization."

First the US/Australia/Canada said it should just do capacity building,
i.e. to narrow its scope to basically zip.  That's gone.  Then they
suggested to ask ISOC instead of the UN to organize it (I don't know why
they didn't just go all the way and suggest the ICC, but whatever). 
That's predictably dead, developing countries totally opposed, EU too.
Then, in this room, they said it shouldn't be a governance forum, but
rather an amorphous "Internet dialogue forum."  Developing countries
opposed.  So now they're saying it has to have a sunset clause, couple
years out.  Push back on that too, but of course some compromise possible
on this, probably like five years then review.

We go back to plenary soon.  BTW we are not allowed to speak.

Bill






*******************************************************
William J. Drake  wdrake at ictsd.ch
President, Computer Professionals for
   Social Responsibility www.cpsr.org
Senior Associate, International Centre for Trade
   and Sustainable Development www.ictsd.org
   Geneva, Switzerland
http://mitpress.mit.edu/IRGP-series
http://www.cpsr.org/board/drake
Morality is the best of all devices for leading
mankind by the nose.---Nietzsche
*******************************************************



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