Climate conference disappoints Indonesia<\/p>\n
Stevie Emilia, The Jakarta Post, New Delhi<\/p>\n
Indonesia expressed on Thursday its disappointment with the way
\nthe UN-sponsored climate conference had proceeded as no
\nsignificant agreement had been reached and there was only one day
\nremaining.<\/p>\n
The head of the Indonesian delegation, Liana Bratasida, said
\nparticipating countries in the 10-day conference had not shown a
\n\"clear commitment\" in dealing with climate change problems.<\/p>\n
\"Until now, there's a lack of consensus and commitment. We
\nhope the Delhi Declaration will not turn into a mere political
\nstatement,\" Liana, the deputy state minister for environment
\npreservation, told a high-level ministerial round table meeting
\non Thursday.<\/p>\n
She said she found no significant progress in the ongoing
\nnegotiations since some issues remained unsettled and would have
\nto be brought to the next climate conference in Rome in 2003.
\nIndustrialized countries, she added, also displayed a half-
\nhearted intention to lower their greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n
This year's climate conference, scheduled to end on Friday, is
\nthe last before the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which binds
\nindustrialized countries in cutting down their greenhouse gas
\nemissions, takes effect next year.<\/p>\n
With the United States, named as the world's biggest polluter,
\nrefusing to ratify the protocol, much hope is pinned on Russia
\nand Canada.<\/p>\n
Although 96 countries have ratified the protocol, their
\nemissions only represent 37.4 percent of the emissions of Annex I
\ncountries in 1990.<\/p>\n
The executive in charge of foreign affairs of the Association
\nof Indonesian Forestry Business (APHI), Robianto Koestomo, said
\nhe had expected that the conference would resolve some unfinished
\nbusiness, including those on Land Use, Land Use Change and
\nForestry (LULUCF).<\/p>\n
\"This is the most disappointing climate conference I have ever
\nattended,\" said Robiyanto, who has gone to the last two climate
\nconferences.<\/p>\n
\"We expected to reach an agreement on the implementation phase
\nof LULUCF at this conference, but we now have to wait until the
\nnext conference in Rome,\" Robiyanto said.<\/p>\n
He said APHI was preparing a project to rehabilitate about
\n5,000 hectares of neglected land in Palembang and Jambi, which
\nwas formerly used as a resettlement area for transmigrants.<\/p>\n
The project, slated to start next year, will be assisted by
\nthe International Tropical Timber Association (ITTO), which will
\nprovide early financial and technical aid.<\/p>\n
Two experts from Colombia and Switzerland will arrive sometime
\nin November to help the government prepare the project proposal.<\/p>",
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