Trade issues may cloud world summit on environment<\/p>\n
Berni K. Moestafa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Trade and environment issues may intertwine at the upcoming
\nUnited Nations summit on the environment, possibly harming
\nIndonesian businesses if it fails to negotiate these \"tricky\"
\nsubjects, a senior delegation member said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The UN summit on sustainable development may be hijacked by
\ntrade interests, said Suparka, vice chairman of the Indonesian
\nInstitute of Science (LIPI) and a senior delegation member for
\nthe pre-summit's meeting in Bali from May 27 to June 7.<\/p>\n
\"The general constraints that Indonesia will face are those
\nconcerned with the WTO (World Trade Organization),\" he said
\nduring a press briefing announcing a planned seminar on the role
\nof science in promoting sustainable development.<\/p>\n
Indonesia is gearing up to host the final round of preliminary
\nmeetings in Bali for the United Nations' second world summit on
\nthe environment.<\/p>\n
The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) will be
\nheld in Johannesburg, South Africa from late August to September.<\/p>\n
As overexploitation plagues the world's natural resources, the
\nsummit hopes to promote a more sustainable development of the
\nglobal economy.<\/p>\n
This message, however, has yet to gain a foothold here,
\nSuparka said, while other countries may also try to impose their
\ntrade interests on Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"Every country has its own agenda... nothing is free here.\"<\/p>\n
In one example, the United States has banned the imports of
\nshrimp on the pretense that shrimp farmers use nets which trapped
\nand killed sea turtles, he said.<\/p>\n
Critics said the ban was one of several barriers blocking
\ntrade on the pretense of environmental concerns.<\/p>\n
As globalization pushes open markets under the WTO, they said
\nnon-trade barriers tied to environmental, health or cultural
\nissues have become the new form of protectionism.<\/p>\n
Likewise, the use of imported genetic modified cotton, Suparka
\nsaid, benefited Indonesian farmers but made them dependent on
\nimported cotton seeds.<\/p>\n
Developed countries also dismissed calls to forgo patent
\nrights of drugs with ingredients that were found in poor
\ncountries, Suparka said.<\/p>\n
Poor countries may need the drugs but cannot afford them
\nbecause of the royalties they must pay foreign drug companies.<\/p>\n
\"We're facing some sort of constraints here that are related
\nto trade issues,\" Suparka said.<\/p>\n
So far the draft of the document that would form the next
\nagreement of the Johannesburg summit was acceptable, he said.<\/p>\n
Former environment minister and now chairman of the meeting in
\nBali, Emil Salim, drafted the document based on inputs from three
\nprevious rounds of preparatory talks.<\/p>\n
But Suparka said it was up to each country's negotiation
\nskills to ensure the summit's outcome could best serve its
\ninterest.<\/p>\n
Over 6,000 delegates from 189 countries are expected to attend
\nthe summit's preliminary talks in Bali this month, in one of the
\nbiggest events Indonesia will host in many years.<\/p>\n
Suparka warned that talks could be tricky as countries
\ndisguised their real agenda during negotiations.<\/p>\n
He criticized Indonesia's choice of delegates, and pointed out
\nthat the delegations from other countries always included skilled
\nlawyers during talks.<\/p>\n
\"Whereas ideas from our delegation, are usually greeted with
\nridicule and criticism, as we seem to take the ideas from out of
\nthe blue, not knowing that they violate some law,\" he explained.<\/p>\n
He said talks to implement the summit's agreement however were
\nthe hard ones, as differences in interests become more pronounced
\nwhen countries were asked for action.<\/p>\n
\"The Johannesburg meeting only sets the tone, what is
\nimportant is what comes afterward.\"<\/p>\n
Fear of summit fatigue may also take the spirit out of the
\nJohannesburg summit.<\/p>\n
World Bank vice president for environmental issues Ian Johnson
\nhas said too many international summits on trade and development
\nprior to Johannesburg had put a strain on negotiators.<\/p>",
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