[R-G] UNESCO Ditches Reporters Without Borders

[Anthony Fenton]

UNESCO Ditches Reporters Without Borders
Paris, Mar 12 (Prensa Latina) The United Nations Education, Science  
and Culture Organization (UNESCO) withdrew its patronage for today´s  
Online Free Expression Day, sponsored by the French non-government  
organization Reporters Without Border (RSF).

A UNESCO diplomatic source told Prensa Latina on Wednesday that the  
UN body had made the decision based on RSF´s "reiterated lack of  
ethics" and its attempts to discredit a given number of countries.

UNESCO's profile or purposes are not in line with RSF's performance  
for sensationalist interest nor it is acting as a court of  
inquisition for developing nations, the source said.

For this and other causes the UN body definitely declared the  
relation with RSF closed, and excluded any kind of collaboration in  
the future.

The RSF launched a campaign today to label "states with cyber- 
censorship, all of which are Third World countries.

Diplomats spoke with Prensa Latina on conditions of anonymity to  
avoid appearing on the RSF black list.

The French non-government organization has been frequently accused of  
having close ties with the US Central Intelligence Agency.

Canadian journalist Jean-Guy Allard has written several articles and  
a book denouncing that RSF is being funded by the US National  
Endowment for Democracy.

He also revealed the financial support it receives from the European  
Union, since in 2005 the EU delivered over one million Euros to RSF.

nm/ccs/iff/ft

PL-20