Statement of Principles of the Information Society Summit Approved

Tehran, IRNA: On December 7, 2003, the Secretary of the Supreme Council of Information and Iran's representative at the Information Society Summit announced the agreement of UN member states on the final text of the 'Statement of Principles' after 12 hours of intensive negotiations in Geneva. Nasrollah Jahangard emphasized in a phone interview from Geneva that representatives from 190 countries reached a final agreement despite existing disagreements over the content of the final statement, particularly the United States' opposition to establishing a global center for 'managing and policymaking on the Internet.' He stated that the principles clearly indicate that unilateralism in the field of information is unacceptable and that no government or organization has the right to impose unilateral information restrictions. He added that paragraph 15 of the approved statement emphasizes the development of the Internet and the necessary infrastructure, covering all areas of human activity including health, culture, and knowledge. According to the Iranian representative, this paragraph specifies that an international working group will be established for Internet policymaking and development. The special representative of the President for Information Technology mentioned another contentious issue regarding the 'creation of a fund to assist in providing communication infrastructure for developing and poor countries' is also under review and is expected to lead to collective agreement. He noted that the officially approved text of the Statement of Principles will be published on Tuesday before the official start of the Information Society Summit in Geneva, and the leaders of participating countries will emphasize this statement and action plan in their speeches. The Iranian representative at the Information Society Summit in Geneva stated that 'the Statement of Principles of the Information Society Summit is a historic and decisive declaration,' asserting that the approval of this statement, given the convergence and consensus of all countries, will mark the beginning of a historical transformation in a new era called the 'Information Society.'