Hello=20 everyone,
 
I thought it best to share this with the caucus. I think = it's=20 important to understand the context and I will be next forwarding = Sean's=20 five points as mentioned in his e-mail below. I seek your views on = this=20 matter and if as Asia Pacific, we would like to support Sean's=20 call.
 
Warm regards,
 
Angela
 
-----=20 Original Message -----
From: Sean=20 O Siochru
To: bureau@geneva2003.org ; bureau@wsis-cs.org =
Sent:=20 Thursday, July 24, 2003 7:44 PM
Subject: John's note on = Civil=20 Society Plenary

To:  Members of the Bureau,

I = totally=20 agree with Renata that we need to build on trust in the = Bureau.  But=20 this is also why I believe that John Gagain is severely out of order = in the=20 note he has sent around to Bureau members, to the CS Plenary List = and to the=20 Content Themes Group list.   I do not at all question his = motives,=20 but trust also involves respecting previous decisions and working = from the=20 same basics.

John has stated in no uncertain terms (copied = below)=20 that he believes that the Civil Society Plenary, as it has been = constituted=20 at WSIS meetings, does not in fact exist, and that (if it did) it = has no=20 authority to take decisions on behalf of civil society.

I = was not at=20 the Bureau meeting and have not seen the minutes, so I cannot = comment on the=20 issue of Chairing the Bureau.  But I do believe that it is = entirely out=20 of order for any member, let alone a purported Co-Chairperson, of = the Civil=20 Society Bureau to claim that the entity from which the Bureau = ultimately=20 derives its legitimacy does not exist. 

Such a = statement,=20 especially made so publicly by the purported Chair of the Bureau, is = highly=20 provocative and risks discrediting the entire efforts of civil = society to=20 develop a credible and coherent presence at the WSIS.

I = believe that=20 the Bureau must disassociate ourselves clearly from this statement, = in=20 equally certain terms.  I greatly regret that John has sent = this=20 around, and I believe it will inevitably damage the credibility of = the=20 Bureau in the eyes of civil society.

In another note that I = am=20 sending in response to John on the other lists, I note five points = that I=20 thought had been agreed between us all.  I believe that the = Bureau must=20 also affirm these, or similar. We must work from the same = assumptions if we,=20 and civil society as a whole,  is to retain credibility. =

Sean=20

John wrote (my bold):

1. CS Information Session and Debriefing There does not exist = a forum=20 at the WSIS referred to as "Civil Society Plenary", nor was there = ever one=20 at any other U.N. sponsored Summit in the past. A Plenary = signifies a=20 fixed group of members or member states and the actual official = definition=20 is: 1. Complete in all respects, unlimited or full: a diplomat = with=20 plenary powers, 2. Fully attended by all qualified members: a = plenary=20 session of the council.  As you can see, Civil Society = does not=20 fulfill this definition or its prerequisites. =20
2. ...=20
3. ... as I mention above, there is no CS Plenary; and = especially not=20 one that makes decisions on behalf of Civil Society.  = This idea=20 would never work especially due to the fact that the composition = of Civil=20 Society at the WSIS is always changing from meeting-to-meeting,=20 session-to-session; and is never consistent.  Please see the=20 definition of Plenary above.=20 =

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