Geneva — Speaking Wednesday in Geneva at the opening session of the First Phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali invited all parties including governments, international and regional organizations, members of civil society and the private sector, to participate in the second phase of the summit scheduled in Tunis Summit, November 16-18, 2005.

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) which opened today in Geneva is structured in two phases. The first phase is hosted by the Swiss Federation, from 10 to 12 December 2003. The second phase will be hosted by the Republic of Tunisia in November 2005.

"We hope the Tunis Summit," said President Ben Ali, "will constitute a historic landmark reinforcing this common edifice for the good of all humanity, and ensuring for all our countries the conditions of progress and development, particularly in the fields of information and communication technologies, within a context of peace, security and stability."

He added that Tunisia will work to ensure a successful preparatory process for the 2005 summit "so that this Summit can meet the aspirations of all countries, and open up prospects of effective and efficient participation for all the components of civil society, for intellectuals, and for the private sector".

To ensure the success of the 2005 summit, Tunisia counts on its organizational experience, its modern infrastructure and successful promotion of new information technologies at home. Tunisia has hosted last month the meetings of the World Engineering Federations Organization (WEFO), and the ICANN international Congress. Earlier this month, it has hosted the first 5+5 Dialogue Summit of western Mediterranean countries. "For Tunisia, the establishment of the society of information and communication constitutes a basic national choice which we have endeavored to consecrate," said President Ben Ali. During the last few years, Tunisia has implemented a strategy to generalize access to the internet and make new applications of information technologies and telecommunications available to the various categories of the population. There are twelve internet service providers and a fully digital telecommunications infrastructure (there are about 1.5 million of subscribers to fixed telephone service in the country). A national low cost-computer program has been launched to ensure access of all groups of society to new information technologies. By 2006, there will in Tunisia up to 10.5 computers per 100 inhabitants.

As to the current phase of the summit, President Ben Ali said the Geneva meetings "will constitute an important starting point to closely look into the ways and means whereby to stimulate international and regional cooperation in order to reduce inequalities between countries and peoples in the acquisition of knowledge and in the mastery of modern digital technologies."

Stressing that "the digital divide is essentially a development disparity and a gap impeding the dialogue of civilizations," President Ben Ali expressed his hope that new information technologies "will help improve the conditions of less developed countries, as part of an effective solidary approach, so that these countries can meet their needs and realize their aspirations."