Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06PARIS655
2006-02-01 12:54:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Paris
Cable title:  

USUNESCO: AMBASSADOR GROSS MEETS DIRECTOR

Tags:  ECON KPAO ECPS ETRD EINT ETTC EAID UNESCO 
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 000655 

SIPDIS

FROM US MISSION TO UNESCO

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/1/2016
TAGS: ECON KPAO ECPS ETRD EINT ETTC EAID UNESCO
SUBJECT: USUNESCO: AMBASSADOR GROSS MEETS DIRECTOR
GENERAL

REF: Paris 396

Classified by: PAO Caitlin Bergin for reasons 1.4 B/D

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 000655

SIPDIS

FROM US MISSION TO UNESCO

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/1/2016
TAGS: ECON KPAO ECPS ETRD EINT ETTC EAID UNESCO
SUBJECT: USUNESCO: AMBASSADOR GROSS MEETS DIRECTOR
GENERAL

REF: Paris 396

Classified by: PAO Caitlin Bergin for reasons 1.4 B/D


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Ambassador David A. Gross, U.S.
Coordinator for International Communications and
Information Policy in the Bureau of Economic and
Business Affairs and U.S. Ambassador to UNESCO, Louise

V. Oliver met with UNESCO's Director General Koichiro
Matsuura and Assistant Director General for
Communication and Information Abdul Waheed Khan, on
January 20, 2006 to discuss World Summit on the
Information Society (WSIS) follow up. During the
meeting, Ambassador Gross, referring to the language of
the Tunis Agenda adopted at WSIS, stated that the
U.S.'s strong view was that "enhanced cooperation"
meant rededication to the existing work of the
international community. He noted the Canadian support
of Markus Kumar for the new Internet Governance Forum
(IGF) secretariat. He emphasized that the U.S. had
finished negotiating the issue of Internet governance
at WSIS and described the IGF as a place to exchange
information. He noted that UNESCO's constituency,
particularly media freedom NGOs, could play a useful
role in advancing UNESCO's interests at the IGF.
Ambassadors Gross and Oliver stated that during talks
with over 25 Ambassadors to UNESCO, they had detected a
shift away from advocating new mechanisms on ICTs
toward constructive use to advance common interests.
Ambassador Gross reaffirmed USG views on the importance
of access to foreign languages on the Internet.
Matsuura took his views on board and appeared to
welcome a potential chance to mend the USG-UNESCO rift
over cultural diversity. END SUMMARY.

--------------
ENHANCED COOPERATION AND THE ROLE OF THE IGF
--------------


2. (SBU) Ambassador Gross delivered a strong message
that the U.S. had finished negotiating the issue of
internet governance at WSIS and it was now time to move

on. "Enhanced cooperation" in this context, he said,
meant re-dedicating ourselves to existing organizations
within the UN system. No new work programs, no
expansions of mandates and no new mechanisms were
established at Tunis, he said, adding that this was
good news for UNESCO's budget. He noted that he had
discussed with Khan Canada's support of Markus Kumar to
lead the new Internet Governance Forum (IGF)
secretariat in Geneva. At the same time, he emphasized

SIPDIS
that the U.S. was not playing a major role in deciding
the IGF's secretariat.

--------------
UNESCO AND MEDIA FREEDOM
--------------


3. (SBU) Ambassador Gross praised UNESCO's commitment
to media freedom throughout the WSIS process. He
encouraged Matsuura to motivate UNESCO's media freedom
NGO constituency to take an active stakeholder role at
the IGF, and specifically mentioned the World Press
Freedom Committee as an example of the kind of NGO that
might play a constructive role on the IGF. Matsuura
indicated that he would consider this point.

-------------- --
ICT DEBATE: UNESCO AMBASSADORS WANT TO MOVE ON
-------------- --


4. (SBU) Ambassador Oliver noted that Ambassador
Gross had met with almost thirty Ambassadors to UNESCO
to discuss ICTs and WSIS. Gross stated that while the
U.S. might still be working through some of the
Internet governance issues with some EU colleagues, he
saw that the rest of the world wanted to move on and
look at the constructive application of ICTs to advance
common interests. Gross also discussed the views of
African Ambassadors to UNESCO, which were focused on
how to use ICTs as a tool to help provide government
services such as health care, policing and education.
Matsuura mentioned the role that the private sector
could play in this regard and stated that despite
initial criticism, UNESCO's Communication and
Information sector continued to push ahead for greater
cooperation with U.S. companies such as Microsoft and
Intel. The WSIS Action Line of ICTs and Education, he
added, was a main theme for UNESCO, and the
organization itself could help the developing world in
this regard.

--------------
Local languages on the Internet
--------------

5. (U) Matsuura stated that UNESCO was opening
multimedia community centers in developing countries
and had established an international institute for
capacity building in Addis Ababa. He added that
capacity building was a WSIS Action Line in UNESCO's
competency. Ambassador Gross cited the importance of
expanding the Internet for non-ASCII languages and
stated that the USG strongly supported access to
content in local languages on the Internet. Matsuura
and Khan agreed.


6. (C) COMMENT: During the meeting, Matsuura was all
smiles. At the same time, it is often worth noting
what he does not mention. He only raised 2 of the 8
WSIS Action Lines for follow up - capacity building,
and ICTs and Education - suggesting that worker bees in
the Secretariat who want to act aggressively on all 8
Action Lines (including information ethics) might be
held in check. While appearing receptive to the idea,
Matsuura did not specifically state he agreed with
Canada's support for having the IGF's Secretariat in
Geneva, as ADG Khan had (see reftel). A Matsuura
staffer later stated that the two main points Matsuura
had heard from Gross were that Internet Governance was
"a dead issue" and ICTs are tools that do not have
value independent of application. ("If we are going to
meet and talk about computers, why not meet and talk
about pencils?" she asked.) She stated that Gross
delivered a strong message that the IGF would change
nothing in terms of policy, but that UNESCO should urge
its media freedom constituency to play an active role.
What had resonated most with Matsuura, she said, was
that Gross made clear that other UNESCO member states
shared USG views on his points. Mission will now wait
to see whether Matsuura will support the Swiss proposal
for the IGF, continue to distance UNESCO from Internet
Governance, and keep UNESCO focused on one or two WSIS
Action lines where it can have impact. We hear over
and over again from member states that education
remains a top UNESCO priority and therefore we can
expect continued emphasis on the use of ICTs and
education, particularly in rural areas. END COMMENT.


7. (U) Ambassador Gross has cleared on this cable.

KOSS