Security at Earth Summit not Perfect: Journalists

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, August 30, 2002

Security at Earth Summit not Perfect: Journalists

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Journalists and accredited observers, fed up with having to undergo two bouts of electronic scanning to get into the Sandton Convention Center, the venue of the ongoing World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), have discovered how to avoid one of them -- they simply take a detour.

The checkpoint, manned by the South African Police Service (SAPS), is on the north exit from Sandton Square, marking the perimeter of the supposedly secure area around the center.

But it is possible to bypass that checkpoint by walking around the Square -- and on Thursday an Asian reporter was not even asked to show his accreditation as he entered the secure area that way.

He did however still have to go through the second check at the entrance to the convention center itself.

Asked about the anomaly, a United Nations security official manning a checkpoint said the "whole thing" had been arranged by South African and United States security experts.

"Ask them. I'm sure there must be a reason," he laughed. "If not, I'm sure (the first checkpoint is) a sort of mental preventative measure."

SAPS spokeswoman Henriette Bester said any security concerns were addressed as soon as they were reported.

"There is going to be a few changes made to the security checks," she said.

According to UN spokeswoman Susan Markham, the number of government delegates accredited stood at 7,118, members from major civil society groups at 5,802, and media representatives at 2,932.

Markham said 190 countries from a possible total of 195 had sent delegations to take part in the conference and 104 heads of state had confirmed their attendance.

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