By Isabel Ovalle
DOHA: Developing countries gathered in the Third World Network see the draft agreement for the extension of the Kyoto Protocol “weak” and “unambitious”.
The representative of the organisation, Meenakshi Raman, said yesterday at a press conference that “developing countries believe that there should not be flexibility for parties that do not participate in the second Kyoto commitment.”
Raman clarified that the text coordinated by Brazil and Norway that ministers are to evaluate, “is very disturbing and is not ambitious.” In this line, she insisted that “it is very weak and proposes length of eight years for the second commitment period, without ambition,” she reiterated.
The spokesperson for the Third World Network insisted that “developing countries hoped to see more progress.” On this basis, she explained that the draft does not mention intellectual property rights relating to technology transfer for mitigation and adaptation.
Furthermore, according to Raman, one of the “most controversial” topics of the Doha summit is the US position, which has been very clear throughout the process, saying it would not accept any reference to intellectual property in the text.
She added that the US “cannot play a constructive role in the negotiations” and speculated that the positions of the European Union as well as Japan, Russia and Canada and other countries that have abandoned Kyoto, are just a follow up US.
According to this organisation, the draft doesn’t refer to the emissions reduction targets for developing countries, “it only encourages them to be more ambitious.”
In this situation, she admitted she still hopes that “our leaders to stand up, there is a glimmer of hope.” For the representative of the Third World Network, “there’s still a fighting chance and the responsibility falls on the shoulders of developing countries.”
Without ruling out the scenario that the Kyoto Protocol could succeed without taking into consideration the position of developing countries, she considered that the final decision will be “political.”
The Peninsula
