[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: