U.N. Conference Attacks Freedom of the Press
NewsMax.com Wires
Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2003
Also see U.N. Schemes to Take Over the Internet.
GENEVA - Leaders from more than 50 countries Wednesday launched a summit
meeting to "bridge the digital divide" and expand use of the Internet to
poor countries, but a split quickly emerged over whether news media should
be free or restricted.

"The right to freedom of opinion and expression is fundamental to
development, democracy and peace and must remain a touchstone for our work
ahead," said U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan in opening the conference.

President Omar Bongo of Gabon said: "Journalists have rights, but they also
have certain duties, and they have to act in a way that is ethically
acceptable. With that kind of mutual respect we can move forward,
recognizing that the Internet must not be used to destabilize situations nor
to destabilize the way people think."

Zimbabwe's Cruel Dictator Rants

Calls for a free press are a smoke screen, said President Robert Mugabe of
Zimbabwe.

"Beneath the rhetoric of free press and transparency is the inequity of
hegemony," said Mugabe, who is listed by the Paris-based Reporters Without
Borders as one of the world's "predators of press freedom."

Mugabe, who came to Geneva soon after pulling out of the Commonwealth
because the bloc extended his nation's 18-month suspension, was combative.
"The rich, imperious and digital north remains on the one end of the
development divide," he said. "The poor, disempowered, underdeveloped south
remains on the other end of that divide."

President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, also on the Reporters Without Borders list,
focused on his goals to provide all Rwandans with access to the Internet.
"We plan to transform Rwanda into a technological hub," Kagame said and
appealed for help from "our development partners."

Some developing countries have been trying to use the summit to put control
of the U.S.-dominated Internet system into the hands of the United Nations.
But most of the contentious issues, including media freedom, were resolved,
at least on paper, in negotiations before the summit or deferred, and U.S.
officials said they were satisfied.

The World Summit on the Information Society is helping by drawing the
world's attention to "the importance that new technologies, whether the
Internet or other mechanisms, have for helping people around the world,"
said Ambassador David Gross of the State Department, head of the American
delegation.

President Bush was one of many Western leaders staying away, but Gross said
the United States was lending strong support by having its speech delivered
Thursday afternoon by White House science and technology adviser John
Marburger.

Gross said documents that were hammered out in months of negotiations for
the summit "reflect many of the issues we think are critically important,"
including free expression, Internet governance and the importance of
intellectual property.

French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin was one of the few Western
leaders to address the opening session. "We must build an information
society for everyone, a society open to all," Raffarin said. "This is a
wonderful opportunity to help less fortunate countries. We must bring down
the digital barriers."

At the same time, he said, governments should guard against the spread of
pornography and pedophilia on the Internet.

Even as the gathering began, organizers were lowering expectations, noting
that a follow-up summit would take place in Tunisia in 2005.

"Geneva is the beginning, the beginning of a process," said Marc Furrer, the
Swiss state secretary who helped broker talks among government negotiators
ahead of the summit. But campaigners for press freedom said the follow-up
meeting should be canceled or moved to another country on grounds that
Tunisia "does not respect free speech and press freedom."

"The Tunisian press is censored, journalists are jailed along with hundreds
of other political prisoners, and organization of the Tunis summit has been
assigned to a military general alleged to be responsible for the torture of
political prisoners," said a joint statement from World Press Freedom
Committee, Inter American Press Association, World Association of Newspapers
and other groups.

Pending approval from the world leaders is a declaration that challenges
them to use technology in promoting development goals such as eliminating
poverty, fighting AIDS and curbing child mortality. It calls for connecting
schools, public libraries and health centers in poor countries to the
Internet by 2015.

Key decisions on the way the Internet works, such as domain names and
addresses, reside in a private agency spun off from the U.S. government, and
the United States wants to keep it that way.

China, South Africa, India and Brazil, the main proponents of wresting
control of the Internet from the United States, have offered only vague
blueprints for an alternative.



© 2003 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

"Michael McKelvy" wrote in message
...
U.N. Conference Attacks Freedom of the Press
NewsMax.com Wires
Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2003
Also see U.N. Schemes to Take Over the Internet.
GENEVA - Leaders from more than 50 countries Wednesday launched a summit
meeting to "bridge the digital divide" and expand use of the Internet to
poor countries, but a split quickly emerged over whether news media should
be free or restricted.

It's obvious that the U.N. has failed to bring Arny and Mike up before the
Hague.
While others who commit crimes against humanity have received their "just
desserts" (), Arny and Mike remain stuck on appetizers.

"Robert Morein" wrote in message
...

"Michael McKelvy" wrote in message
...
U.N. Conference Attacks Freedom of the Press
NewsMax.com Wires
Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2003
Also see U.N. Schemes to Take Over the Internet.
GENEVA - Leaders from more than 50 countries Wednesday launched a summit
meeting to "bridge the digital divide" and expand use of the Internet to
poor countries, but a split quickly emerged over whether news media
should
be free or restricted.

It's obvious that the U.N. has failed to bring Arny and Mike up before the
Hague.
While others who commit crimes against humanity have received their "just
desserts" (), Arny and Mike remain stuck on appetizers.


Completely unrelated to subject response, noted.

How long before you morph into Richman completely?

"Michael McKelvy" wrote in message
...

"Robert Morein" wrote in message
...

"Michael McKelvy" wrote in message
...
U.N. Conference Attacks Freedom of the Press
NewsMax.com Wires
Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2003
Also see U.N. Schemes to Take Over the Internet.
GENEVA - Leaders from more than 50 countries Wednesday launched a
summit
meeting to "bridge the digital divide" and expand use of the Internet
to
poor countries, but a split quickly emerged over whether news media
should
be free or restricted.

It's obvious that the U.N. has failed to bring Arny and Mike up before
the
Hague.
While others who commit crimes against humanity have received their
"just
desserts" (), Arny and Mike remain stuck on appetizers.


Completely unrelated to subject response, noted.

How long before you morph into Richman completely?

I can't predict.
Actually, I've never had a problem with you, other than that you appear to
be Arny's Igor.
We should have a beer before we decide to whack each other .

Robert Morein said to the Bug Eater:

We should have a beer before we decide to whack each other .

Just remind Mikey to bring his bib.

"George M. Middius" wrote in message
...


Robert Morein said to the Bug Eater:

We should have a beer before we decide to whack each other .

Just remind Mikey to bring his bib.


Why, does your **** leak?

"Sang Li" wrote in message
...
"Michael McKelvy" wrote:

"George M. Middius" wrote in message
.. .


Robert Morein said to the Bug Eater:

We should have a beer before we decide to whack each other .

Just remind Mikey to bring his bib.


Why, does your **** leak?

LOL!!

What planet are you from, Mickey?


--
Not the one circling Uranus. :-)

You're the failure.

RR

"Michael McKelvy" wrote in message
...
U.N. Conference Attacks Freedom of the Press
NewsMax.com Wires
Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2003
Also see U.N. Schemes to Take Over the Internet.
GENEVA - Leaders from more than 50 countries Wednesday launched a summit
meeting to "bridge the digital divide" and expand use of the Internet to
poor countries, but a split quickly emerged over whether news media should
be free or restricted.

"The right to freedom of opinion and expression is fundamental to
development, democracy and peace and must remain a touchstone for our work
ahead," said U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan in opening the conference.

President Omar Bongo of Gabon said: "Journalists have rights, but they
also
have certain duties, and they have to act in a way that is ethically
acceptable. With that kind of mutual respect we can move forward,
recognizing that the Internet must not be used to destabilize situations
nor
to destabilize the way people think."

Zimbabwe's Cruel Dictator Rants

Calls for a free press are a smoke screen, said President Robert Mugabe of
Zimbabwe.

"Beneath the rhetoric of free press and transparency is the inequity of
hegemony," said Mugabe, who is listed by the Paris-based Reporters Without
Borders as one of the world's "predators of press freedom."

Mugabe, who came to Geneva soon after pulling out of the Commonwealth
because the bloc extended his nation's 18-month suspension, was combative.
"The rich, imperious and digital north remains on the one end of the
development divide," he said. "The poor, disempowered, underdeveloped
south
remains on the other end of that divide."

President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, also on the Reporters Without Borders
list,
focused on his goals to provide all Rwandans with access to the Internet.
"We plan to transform Rwanda into a technological hub," Kagame said and
appealed for help from "our development partners."

Some developing countries have been trying to use the summit to put
control
of the U.S.-dominated Internet system into the hands of the United
Nations.
But most of the contentious issues, including media freedom, were
resolved,
at least on paper, in negotiations before the summit or deferred, and U.S.
officials said they were satisfied.

The World Summit on the Information Society is helping by drawing the
world's attention to "the importance that new technologies, whether the
Internet or other mechanisms, have for helping people around the world,"
said Ambassador David Gross of the State Department, head of the American
delegation.

President Bush was one of many Western leaders staying away, but Gross
said
the United States was lending strong support by having its speech
delivered
Thursday afternoon by White House science and technology adviser John
Marburger.

Gross said documents that were hammered out in months of negotiations for
the summit "reflect many of the issues we think are critically important,"
including free expression, Internet governance and the importance of
intellectual property.

French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin was one of the few Western
leaders to address the opening session. "We must build an information
society for everyone, a society open to all," Raffarin said. "This is a
wonderful opportunity to help less fortunate countries. We must bring down
the digital barriers."

At the same time, he said, governments should guard against the spread of
pornography and pedophilia on the Internet.

Even as the gathering began, organizers were lowering expectations, noting
that a follow-up summit would take place in Tunisia in 2005.

"Geneva is the beginning, the beginning of a process," said Marc Furrer,
the
Swiss state secretary who helped broker talks among government negotiators
ahead of the summit. But campaigners for press freedom said the follow-up
meeting should be canceled or moved to another country on grounds that
Tunisia "does not respect free speech and press freedom."

"The Tunisian press is censored, journalists are jailed along with
hundreds
of other political prisoners, and organization of the Tunis summit has
been
assigned to a military general alleged to be responsible for the torture
of
political prisoners," said a joint statement from World Press Freedom
Committee, Inter American Press Association, World Association of
Newspapers
and other groups.

Pending approval from the world leaders is a declaration that challenges
them to use technology in promoting development goals such as eliminating
poverty, fighting AIDS and curbing child mortality. It calls for
connecting
schools, public libraries and health centers in poor countries to the
Internet by 2015.

Key decisions on the way the Internet works, such as domain names and
addresses, reside in a private agency spun off from the U.S. government,
and
the United States wants to keep it that way.

China, South Africa, India and Brazil, the main proponents of wresting
control of the Internet from the United States, have offered only vague
blueprints for an alternative.



© 2003 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

McKelvy said:

"George M. Middius" wrote in message
.. .


Robert Morein said to the Bug Eater:

We should have a beer before we decide to whack each other .

Just remind Mikey to bring his bib.


Why, does your **** leak?

So you're saying you want to eat George's ****. I just want you to confirm
this, because that's what you just said.

I'm betting that you didn't really mean that, and that once again your basic
stupidity has tripped you up again, so now you'll try to weasel your way out of
it by lying and twisting ad infinitum.

Go ahead.

Boon