Delegates undecided over Bali Commitment<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali<\/p>\n
Two deadlines have passed and the negotiations on the Bali
\nCommitment remain deadlocked, although the talks are now
\ncentering on fundamental issues that could open the way to new
\ncompromises, according to an Indonesian delegate.<\/p>\n
The delegate said on Sunday that intense negotiations
\nthroughout Saturday night had failed to find common ground. A new
\ndeadline had now been set for Monday evening, he said.<\/p>\n
Talks on the Bali Commitment, as yet still called the
\nChairman's Text, have been progressing slowly since they began a
\nweek ago.<\/p>\n
The Bali Commitment is an action plan that the heads of state
\nwill sign at the upcoming World Summit on Sustainable Development
\nin Johannesburg, South Africa, from late August to September.<\/p>\n
The delegate said that securing a favorable Chairman's Text
\nwould not only win the country better facilities for alleviating
\npoverty and protecting its environment, but could also be used as
\na platform for gaining positions of influence in the World Trade
\nOrganization (WTO), and international conferences.<\/p>\n
Head of the Indonesian delegation Makarim Wibisono has said
\nthat Indonesia's interest was to preserve the text in its
\noriginal form when it was released by the meeting's chairman Emil
\nSalim.<\/p>\n
But disagreements over the plan's implementation and the
\ndegree of commitments, added to trade interests, have undermined
\nthe talks.<\/p>\n
So far, intense meetings since Wednesday have managed to focus
\nthe discussions on the most contentious issues.<\/p>\n
The delegate, who requested anonymity, said that at this stage
\nwhen fundamental issues remained unresolved, horse trading would
\nlikely lead to compromises.<\/p>\n
He said the issues involved included the chapters that dealt
\nwith energy, the oceans, means and implementation of the action
\nplan, and good governance.<\/p>\n
Energy remained deadlocked over time targets and the
\npercentage by which renewable energy should replace fossil fuel
\nconsumption. Several oil-exporting countries threw their weight
\nagainst the shift towards renewable energy and succeeded in
\ndeadlocking the negotiations.<\/p>\n
Talks on the oceans remain divided over whether or not whaling
\nshould be allowed, with Japan and Iceland rejecting a strict ban.<\/p>\n
Chapter IX on Means and Implementation continues to draw mixed
\narguments dividing mainly developed countries from the developing
\nones.<\/p>\n
Indonesia, a member of Group-77\/China, is pushing for more
\nconcrete action defined by time targets and stronger wordings.<\/p>\n
While this position has the backing of the European Union
\n(EU), it must face another developed countries' negotiating block
\nknown as JUSCANZ.<\/p>\n
The United States is leading JUSCANZ, which group together
\nJapan, the U.S, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.<\/p>\n
Indonesian delegate Djumala Darmansjah said earlier that a
\ntrade-off could be achieved if negotiations on means and
\nimplementation extended to good governance issues, as proposed by
\nJUSCANZ.<\/p>\n
Djumala said that JUSCANZ was demanding developing countries
\nimprove their governance, meaning curbing corruption so as to
\nensure that foreign aid reached its intended targets.<\/p>\n
He also predicted that under the means and implementation
\nheading, Indonesia could secure a clause demanding that developed
\ncountries provided greater access to developing countries'
\nproducts.<\/p>\n
While previous discussions were conducted by three working
\ngroups, since Friday the unresolved issues have been brought
\nbefore the committee as a whole, which combines the working
\ngroups.<\/p>\n
Starting on Monday, delegates will start drafting the
\npolitical text, which the heads of states are expected to sign in
\nJohannesburg.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian delegate said that equipped with a favorable
\nBali Commitment that had been approved by world leaders, the
\ncountry could boost its bargaining position during other
\ninternational negotiations.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/delegates-undecided-over-bali-commitment-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}