By Satish Kanady
DOHA: After a roller-coaster of debates and negotiations over two weeks, the Doha Climate talks are to conclude today. The last few days’ headlines suggest there is nothing much to be expected from the 18th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC.
The Parties, pressure groups and the negotiating blocs are expecting to carry a mixed bag of results from Doha.
The developing nations are expecting last minute closing on the second commitment of Kyoto Protocol and the much-vaunted Green Climate Fund. However, NGOs and Civil society groups yesterday said the Doha talks are on the brink and asked that the presidency help political leadership finalise a deal in Doha .
The developed nations are expected to announce their positions today. The US, European Union and UK will come out with separate statements.
The G77 and China will hold the final rounds of discussion today. OPEC countries are also holding their last round of discussions today. Yesterday, the BASIC Group of countries — Brazil, South Africa, India and China — projected solidarity on key issues emerging at Doha climate talks. The bloc said it is hopeful of Doha closing the Kyoto Protocol 2 and a mid-term finance, if not a long-term one, on Global Climate Fund. There is speculation that the summit might be extended by one more day, but there was no official announcement to this effect. The UNFCCC has announced a closing media conference today.
The Peninsula
