US embassy cable - 05TUNIS1458

UNCLAS TUNIS 001458 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR E (AMBASSADOR GROSS,) EB, EB/CIP, NEA/MAG 
(LAWRENCE,) NEA/PPR AND EB/CBA 
COMMERCE FOR ITA/MAC/ONE (ROTH,) CLDP (TEJTEL,) AND 
ADVOCACY CENTER (JAMES) 
USUN GENEVA (WSIS WATCHER) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KIPR, ECON, ECPS, TS, EDRC 
SUBJECT: GOT REACTION TO ICANN POLICY; WSIS RELATED ISSUES: 
COMMUNICATION MINISTER SAYS U.S. VISIT SUCCESSFUL 
 
 
1.  THE AMBASSADOR MET WITH GOT MINISTER OF COMMUNICATION 
TECHNOLOGIES MONTASSAR OUAILI JULY 6 TO DISCUSS THE COMMERCE 
DEPARTMENT'S RECENT ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE DECISION TO RETAIN 
OVERSIGHT AND VETO POWER ON THE INTERNET CORPORATION FOR 
ASSIGNED NAMES AND NUMBERS (ICANN.)  OUAILI WAS LESS 
CONCERNED ABOUT THE FACT OF USG OVERSIGHT OF ICANN, WHICH THE 
GOT HAS NO PROBLEM WITH, BUT WAS CONCERNED THAT THE U.S. AND 
EU REACH SOME KIND OF CONSENSUS ON INTERNATIONAL INTERNET 
STANDARDS--AND DO THIS BEFORE THE SUMMIT.  HE SAID THERE WAS 
CONCERN THAT IF THE U.S. PURSUES AN INDEPENDENT POSITION IN 
RELATION TO THE INTERNET, IT WOULD DAMAGE COMMON INTERESTS 
AND NEEDLESSLY CREATE COMPETING INTERNET STANDARDS. 
 
2.  OUAILI ALSO RECAPPED HIS RECENT VISIT TO WASHINGTON, 
CHICAGO, AND SAN FRANCISCO TO DISCUSS WSIS, AND ENCOURAGE 
U.S. PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPATION.  IN WASHINGTON, OUAILI MET 
WITH EB/AMBASSADOR GROSS, AND THROUGHOUT THE TRIP WITH 
SEVERAL REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE AMERICAN BUSINESS COMMUNITY. 
 HE SAID THE TRIP WAS "VERY SUCCESSFUL," AND HE EXPECTED 
HIGH-LEVEL DELEGATIONS FROM INTEL, CISCO, SUN, MOTOROLA, IBM, 
AND HP AT A MINIMUM FOR WSIS, WHICH WILL BE HELD IN TUNISIA 
IN NOVEMBER 2005.  HE SAID ORGANIZERS NOW EXPECT MORE THAN 
18,000 PEOPLE TO ATTEND. 
 
3.  AS HE HAS DONE PREVIOUSLY, OUAILI EMPHASIZED THAT WSIS 
WOULD BE AN INCLUSIVE GATHERING, BUT THAT HE WOULD LIKE U.S 
HELP TO MAKE SURE THAT THE NEXT WORKING GROUP MEETING IN 
GENEVA BE FOCUSED ON THE TECHNOLOGICAL ISSUES, AND NOT 
DIGRESS INTO A FORUM FOR CRITICAL ASSESSMENT OF TUNISIA'S 
CIVIL SOCIETY ISSUES.  MINISTER OUAILI STATED THAT DURING THE 
LAST PREPCOM MEETING, THE DELEGATION WAS "OVERDOSED" ON 
QUESTIONS OF DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS, AND THAT EACH CIVIL 
SOCIETY GATHERING HELD DURING THE MEETINGS FOCUSED ON 
TUNISIA.  THE AMBASSADOR RESPONDED THAT IN AN INCLUSIVE 
ENVIRONMENT, CRITICISM CAN AND SHOULD BE EXPECTED, AND IT 
WOULD BE USEFUL TO BE OPEN WITH CRITICS, AS TUNISIA HAD BEEN 
WITH VISITS FROM THE NGO HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH RECENTLY. 
TUNISIA COULD BEST BE SERVED BY ALLOWING VISITORS TO SEE FOR 
THEMSELVES ITS PROGRESS TO DATE, AND IN CREATING AN INCLUSIVE 
ENVIRONMENT.  ISSUES OUAILI WOULD LIKE TO SEE DISCUSSED AT 
THE NEXT WORKING GROUP MEETING ON INTERNET GOVERNANCE TO BE 
HELD THIS MONTH INCLUDE: OPEN SOURCING, (I.E. PROMOTING FREE 
SOFTWARE,) AND BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE BETWEEN NORTH AND 
SOUTH. 
HUDSON