Climate talks back on track
Negotiations resume; pressure paid off, says Jairam Ramesh
India on Thursday said “sustained pressure” applied by the developing countries had led to the resumption of the two-track climate negotiations here, hours after the process appeared floundering as a group of developed nations worked on a secret document.
Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said the negotiations had resumed on the two track process, even as he hailed the US announcement on a $100 billion annual financing fund as a “very important step”.
“I think one good thing happened today, the negotiations have resumed on the two track process. I think the sustained pressure brought to bear by the developing countries has paid off,”he said later.
He said India has a 75 per cent agreement with the US on the issue of “transparency” while 25 per cent on “Monitoring, Reporting and Verification”. The BASIC countries and G-77 met Danish Prime Minister Lars Loke Rassmussen, who assured them that all further discussions would be transparent, based on consensus and there would be no surprises.
Ramesh had earlier said that a group of developed nations led by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown were working out a secret document which they intended to throw up as a surprise at the heads of state level talks. Ramesh had said the developing countries had not been consulted and the host Denmark’s reluctance to reveal anything on that process was “most baffling” and “mischievous”.
Ramesh also welcomed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s announcement that the US will contribute to the $100 billion annual fund to help poor countries adopt green technologies and adapt to climate change.
“We welcome the announcement of Hillary Clinton. It demonstrates seriousness on the part of the Americans to recognise the finance as a crucial element of climate change,”he said. Seeking to give an impetus to the faltering talks, Clinton said US will mobilise $100 billion yearly till 2020 if developing countries agree to “transparency” in national commitments. She also accused emerging economies of “backing away” from making their climate actions open to scrutiny.
Meanwhile, in a meeting between G77 and China and Rasmussen, President of COP 15 (Conference of Parties), all parties agreed the two texts of Long Term Cooperative Action and the Kyoto Protocol will form the only basis for negotiations and there is no other text in the picture.
