STOP POINTING FINGERS UNS BAN SAYS
Adianto P. Simamora and Stevie Emilia
THE JAKARTA POST/COPENHAGEN
As negotiators failed to come up with figures of emission cuts and financing, Secretary General Ban-Ki moon strongly warned ministers to try hard to reach a consensus ahead of the closing of the conference.
""We come here not for failure; stop blaming each other,"" he told a press conference after opening a ministerial meeting here late Tuesday. Ministers have less than two days to resolve pending issues of emission cuts and financial support for poor countries to adjust to climate change, as world leaders had started arriving in Copenhagen.Ban was responding to queries on differences among negotiators from the United States, China and the European Union over emission cuts talks.
Ban said that the stronger agreement in Copenhagen, the sooner it can be transformed into a legally binding treaty.""Until we get such an agreement, the Kyoto Protocol remains the only legally binding instrument that captures reduction commitment; as such it must be maintained,"" he said.
He also warned the ministers of mounting protests across the world demanding ambitious targets in emission cuts to deal with climate change.
The senior officials from 192 countries worked through the night until Wednesday morning but remained stalled on the emission cut targets and financing issues. A new deal is expected from Copenhagen on emission cuts, to give countries time to adjust before the last agreement, the Kyoto Protocol with its five percent binding emission cuts, expires in 2012.The UN also wants member states to come up with USS10 billion a year from 2010-12 as a quick start to help developing nations cope with global warmingthat will bring more floods, droughts, mudslides and rising sea levels.
In his opening remark at the ministerial level talks, Ban warned no country would get all they want""But if we work together and get a deal, everyone will get what they need,"" he said.President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who was expected to arrive in Copenhagen together with his entourage late Wednesday, was expected to address the talks the next morning.Denmark Prime Minister, Lar Loekke Rasmussen also requested
ministers to work harder to reach a consensus.""We must do better and be better than ever before,"" he said.Greenpeace International warned that the United States is placing the planet at risk, by insisting on major changes to negotiating texts on long term cooperative actions.Kaisa Kosonen of Greenpeace said the US was also trying to toughen obligations on developing countries, whilst trying to get away with a weaker obligation themselves.
""The US, the worlds richest country with the largest historical emissions is holding the talks hostage. If President Barack Obama does not put new targets and long term finance on table this week, he will be a leader remembered for causing a breakdown in Copenhagen and guaranteeing climate chaos."" Obama faces resistance against large promises of cash aid amid an economy recovering from the crisis.
The WWF International said that all night sessions failed to produce a financial framework to assist developing countries to adapt to climate change and cut emissions.""Texts in almost all crucial areas of negotiations, such as technology cooperation, adaptation and forest protection have been seriously stripped of anything firm over the last 24 hours,"" Kim Carstensen from the WWF said.Thousands of people were slated to gather outside the venue, the Bella Center, in protest of the stalled negotiations.