[The following release was received today from the
International Women's Tribune Centre in New York. Portions
have been edited by WTN.]
The NGO Forum Facilitating Committee has rejected the Chinese offer
of the controversial Huairou site for the NGO Forum in August and
given the China organizing committee until May 24 to come up with
an alternative that meets the needs of the 40,000 participants and
journalists expected to take part in the event.
The decision came late yesterday during a conference call across 13
countries and six continents between the 19 members of the
Committee. All but four Committee members mandated the NGO Forum
Negotiating Team headed by NGO Forum Convenor, Kunying Supatra
Masdit, to continue talking to the Chinese about two alternative
sites in Beijing - the Olympic Stadium or the former site at the
Workers Stadium with satelite sites to make up for the loss of the
gymnasium which China says has "structural problems". In terms of
on-going mobilization, the Facilitating Committee suggested that
efforts be put into lobbying governments to make official
complaints to the UN Secretary General, Boutros Boutros Ghali.
The negotiating team and the Facilitating Committee have the
backing of thousands of women and men worldwide who have been
making their voices heard on the controversial bid to change the
forum site since it was first mooted by the Chinese some six weeks
ago.
....you should know that we're getting sounds that governments are
beginning to take issue with the Chinese. The European Union has
sent a strong letter of protest to the China government on behalf
of the European governments and we've received petitions signed by
members of parliament in several countries, so there's a strong
basis for women to step up lobbying efforts with their own
governments.
Signed Joan Ross Frankson
International Women's Tribune Centre
777 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017
tel: 212-661-2704
fax: 212-687-8633
email: