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<DIV><SPAN class=010325912-02042004>Hi,</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=010325912-02042004></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=010325912-02042004>I just read a news report saying that
t</SPAN><SPAN class=010325912-02042004>he US State Department's David Gross and
Phillip Bond, the Commerce undersecretary for technology, traveled two weeks ago
to Senegal to promote the U.S. view that no new financing mechanisms are
needed. Senegal of course led the effort at WSIS to establish a new
fund, but was also the first state selected for a Bush administration initiative
to get the private sector to invest in developing countries' tech
industries. The report said that Gross and Bond met with the Senegalese
president and others, and later told a State Department advisory group that
he is "cautiously optimistic" that Senegal will accept the U.S. view that no new
multilateral fund is needed. So I guess we'll see if their money was well
spent....</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=010325912-02042004></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=010325912-02042004>Cheers,</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=010325912-02042004></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=010325912-02042004>Bill</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=010325912-02042004></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV align=left>******************************************<BR>William J.
Drake<BR>Geneva, Switzerland<BR><A
href="mailto:wdrake@ictsd.ch">wdrake@ictsd.ch</A> <BR><A
href="http://www.citi.columbia.edu/affiliates/wdrake.htm">http://www.citi.columbia.edu/affiliates/wdrake.htm</A>
<BR>Director, Project on the Information Revolution <BR> and Global
Governance<BR>Senior Associate, International Centre for Trade<BR>and
Sustainable Development <A href="http://www.ictsd.org/">www.ictsd.org</A>
<BR>******************************************</DIV>
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