CITIDEP - Research Center on Information Technologies and Participatory
Democracy
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CITIDEP NEWS - 12 August 1999
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Summary:
ICPPIT99 update ; Invitation to VP Al Gore.
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ICPPIT99 update
International Conference on Public Participation and Information Technologies, Lisbon, October 20-22
The ICPPIT99 Committee accepted 64 high-quality abstracts for
the Conference. Among those, 17 were submitted by CITIDEP members,
a very encouraging sign of CITIDEP vitality. Here is the summary
by Chapter: Portugal (5); USA (4); Mexico (3); Argentina (1);
Brasil (1); Canada (1); Caribe (1); France (1). The deadline to
submit full papers is 15 September. The abstract list can be consulted
at
http://www.citidep.pt/icppit99/prelim.html
Dr. Jose' Magalhaes, member of the Portuguese Parliament, joined the ICPPIT99 Committee and submitted also an abstract.
We requested full funding (travel and stay) for 7 non-portuguese
guest speakers. At this time, we have confirmed partial funding
for 2 (travel, French Embassy), and we were given verbal indication
(FLAD) that we will get at least partial funding for the remaining.
We are still working to obtain full funding for our guests, and
to obtain at least some partial funding to help 10 invited authors
(6 from CITIDEP), from other sources. The guest list can be consulted
at
http://www.citidep.pt/icppit99/guests.html
The Conference program will include an opening session with keynote adresses (invited, to be confirmed) by the Vice-President of the USA, Mr. Albert Gore, joined by the President of the Portuguese Republic, Mr. Jorge Sampaio. President Sampaio sent a letter to CITIDEP expressing his interest in the Conference and in joining Mr. VP Gore to deliver an in-depth address concerning participatory democracy and the information society, but confirmation is still pending.
The program includes also one round-table session, chaired by the President of the Portuguese Parliament, Mr. Almeida Santos (invited, to be confirmed), moderated by Professor Donald Straus (confirmed), with a panel of guest speakers, and a closing session chaired by the Portuguese Minister for Science and Technology, Professor Mariano Gago (invited, confirmation pending). Details on the Conference Program can be viewed at http://www.citidep.pt/icppit99/
If you want to help with the Conference, please write to citidep@netcabo.pt. We need all the help we can get. Thank you.
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Invitation to VP Al Gore
As informed previously, the Presidents of CITIDEP and UNL sent an invitation to Mr. V-P Albert Gore, to address the Conference. The Office of VP Gore sent a letter to CITIDEP and to UNL thanking the invitation and informing that it is under consideration. The Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Gama, kindly sent also a letter to Vice-President Gore in strong support of our invitation, on behalf of the Portuguese Government (see text); This letter was delivered by the Portuguese Embassy in Washington, July 19. Mr. Ronald Cruz, President of the PALCUS (Portuguese-American Leadership Council of the USA, an organization that counts with several USA Congressmen and former USA Embassadors among its membership), expressed by telephone to CITIDEP President his support to the invitation.
Whatever the outcome will be, we want to express our gratitude to President Sampaio, to Minister Gama, and to the many colleagues and friends that helped in this process. We include here the text of the letter sent by Dr. Gama, for your information. Please do not publish or otherwise publicly transcribe the letter without previous consent from the Ministry or the Portuguese Embassy. Thank you.
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(TO)
The Honorable Albert Gore
Vice-President of the United States
Office of the Vice-President
Washington, DC
Lisbon, 16 July 1999
Dear Mr. Vice-President,
One of Portugal's most prestigious universities, the Universidade Nova de Lisboa, in collaboration with CITIDEP, a new research center that is actively promoting the scientific cooperation between the United States and Portugal, has recently expressed to this Ministry that it would be honored if you could accept an invitation to deliver the keynote address at the International Conference on Public Participation and Information Technologies, to be held in Lisbon on 20-22 October 1999.
On behalf of the Portuguese Government, I would like to express our wholehearted and full support for this initiative. Your visit to Portugal would indeed be most welcome, and that it would take place in an academic setting would provide an interesting and timely opportunity for you to voice your well-known views and concerns regarding the future of the information society. Such concerns are highly respected by our scientific communities and by the many participants in this event, given the strategic importance of the topic on the eve of the next millennium.
We sincerely hope that you will be able to accept this invitation, thus allowing my Government to welcome you in Lisbon this coming October.
Please accept, Mr. Vice-President, the assurances of my highest consideration
Jaime Gama
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal
==== End of CITIDEP NEWS - 12 August 1999 ====
CITIDEP Bulletin Team
http://www.citidep.pt/ ;
http://www.citidep.org/
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