Talks have resumed in Copenhagen after informal consultations were held to address concerns of developing countries.
| Earlier in the day, the G77 and China, led by African members, had walked out of formal sessions; they said the Copenhagen negotiations were being structured so as to avoid discussion of Kyoto Protocol targets for Annex I countries. Readers of Equitywatch will know that today's skirmish over Kyoto is hardly the first. Whether or not a renewed Kyoto Protocol will form a part of the Copenhagen agreement has emerged as a huge sticking point in these talks. Efforts by industrialised countries to bury Kyoto began in earnest in Bangkok, intensified in Barcelona, and have been building through bilateral meetings since. Here in Copenhagen, it seems as though developed countries are completely unwilling to back off what they now see as an unprecedented - and perhaps final - chance to erase Kyoto for good. Is there anything that could soften their stand in the next three-and-a-half days, before heads of state arrive Friday morning? It seems almost inconceivable, especially when there has been virtually no meaningful progress in the last nine days. However, many Ministers have already arrived, and informal Ministerial talks are already happening at a feverish pace, in parallel with negotiations and text drafting. Formal statements by Ministers begin Wednesday. |
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