Message-ID: <001301c0f280$bed7e710$3945c2c1@unika> From: "Muftah Unis" To: Cc: "Anwar SIALA" , "ali swassi" , , "Abdelmajid CHAARI" , , "Mohamed OULD BRAHIM" , "Ludwig Combrinck" , "Khier Bouchibi" , "Fezzani Chedly" , "Fethi Benhamouda" Subject: [AFREF-6] Rome meetting and Cooperation Date: Mon, 11 Jun 2001 15:12:24 +0100 Sender: owner-afref Precedence: bulk ****************************************************************************** AFREF Mail 12 Jun 16:17:33 PDT 2001 Message Number 6 ****************************************************************************** Author: Muftah Unis Dear Professor, I thank you very much for your message and your kind invitation to Rome = meeting for deepening all the sights of the installing of permanent GPS = stations in Northern Africa and for discussing the features of the = setting of a unified geodetic reference frame in this region. Reading your proposed agenda for the meeting, AOCRS is ready for = co-operation with IAG and to take its full role in this project as it = has already done in the past (e.g. the ADOS project during the 1980's). For several decades, the African continent has been a white patch in = every project conducted by the international geodetic community, you = surely know better than anyone else the urgent need of a full geodetic = program in areas such as ours. With this respect the aims that you assign in your letter to the = proposed plan of the Italian Space Agency with the scientific support of = the IAG are indeed very attractive and deserve some more comments from = us. 1 -The improvement and the strengthening of the ITRF, while tieing our = continent to the activities and benefits of the international geodetic = community go indeed in the staight line of an urgent priority for our = countries to set a North African Geodetic Reference Frame, that is = NAFREF, bearing in mind that this is the first stake for the very = important project AFREF at the continental level. 2 - National geodetic and mapping agencies have naturally the key and = the main role to play within this frame. One should bare in mind also = all the bringing of interstate institutions such as AOCRS, and CRTEAN = in order to promote, coordinate, interrelate, make easier, develop, = strengthen, smooth and damp the activities and relations between the = countries of the region them selves and in Africa, in conformity with = there definition, vocation and role.=20 For all these reasons, I am again glad to renew all my pleasure for = your initiative to gather in Rome participants from concerned countries = and institutions to discuss the preliminaries for such a wide project, = state of the arts and needs, the locations of the new permanent stations = and zero-order points, the equipment and the manpower available, the = planning and the schedule of the various steps of the project. AOCRS is = determined to help towards the good success of these activities . Last but not least, the AOCRS and the IAG can develop and maintain = fruitful relations and cooperation especially if we keep in mind that = the IAG has a long tradition since its creation in promoting geodetic = activities oriented world wide and towards the developing countries. I would like to point out heer that AOCRS was selected with South = Africa to co-chair the Africa sub-commission of IAG Commission XIV = "Crustal Deformation" we hope that IAG can find in AOCRS a good = regional and continental counterpart from this side of the Mediterranee. With my best regards Muftah Unis, Secretary General