Preparatory talks in September made little progress due to major divergences over freedom of expression, the financing and role of the media and regulating the Internet.

"This meeting is to continue the negotiations of the draft declaration and plan of action and to move that along so we have more agreement," said Gary Fowlie, a spokesman for the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the UN agency organising the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).

More than 700 delegates, from governments, advocacy groups, the private sector and the media would hold discussions from Monday to Friday, he said.

Over 50 heads of state from developing and developed countries are scheduled to travel to Geneva for the first stage of the information summit from December 10 to 12. A second meeting will take place in Tunisia in 2005.

Despite failure to finalalise a plan of action so far, Fowlie was confident the December summit would be a success.

"Things are always frenzied at this point but they are coming together," he said.

Between 5,000 and 6,000 people are expected to attend the two-day event next month, which aims to address the digital divide between rich and poor.

SPACE.WIRE