Assistant Secretary Posner Chairs Civil Society, Media and Opposition Roundtables

November 17, 2009

Assistant Secretary Michael H. Posner

Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Michael H. Posner, met with civil society, media and opposition figures in two roundtables on November 17. The roundtables provided an opportunity for A/S Posner to hear the concerns of leading figures from these three groups, and were designed to broaden and inform the discussion of the government-to-government Democracy Working Group held later that day.  In interviews with national media after the roundtables, participants stressed the importance of the U.S. government role in facilitating understanding between the authorities and the opposition on issues like media freedom and democratic reforms to improve legal framework for the upcoming local elections.