Diverse views surface at biodiversity talks
Diverse views surface at biodiversity talks
JAKARTA (JP): After a cordial opening day, divergent viewpoints began to surface at international talks on biodiversity on the second day of the conference yesterday.
There was disagreement on virtually all issues discussed, from technology transfer, regulations on biotechnology, genetic engineering, patent rights and technological cooperation.
Many delegates of the Second Conference of Parties to the Convention of Biodiversity said they supported a "clearing house mechanism" for scientific and technical cooperation.
However, "developed countries fear it could be used for access to certain technologies without respecting intellectual property rights" of private companies, said the executive secretary to the Convention on Biodiversity, Calestous Juma.
The Convention, issued at the 1992 Earth Summit in Brazil, encourages cooperation in the transfer of technology to conserve natural resources.
The head of the United States delegation, Rafe Pomerance, said the technological transfer methods would be supported by U.S. industries.
Colombia, however, said that genetic resources and traditional knowledge should be protected.
"We do not agree that such information.. should be disseminated before adequate rules of access and protection are adopted by the Parties," read the Colombia position stated in a conference document.
Conference chairman Sarwono Kusumaatmadja of Indonesia, commenting on the different perspectives, said the delegates were still "in an early position" and that they have until Nov. 17 to resolve the differences.
Another controversy developed over international procedures for genetic engineering, or "biosafety protocols."
Both sides of the argument were putting out leaflets to present points to delegates and the media.
One statement against such binding regulations came from the Netherlands-based Green Industry Biotechnology Platform, which said that strict regulations on biotechnology would "unnecessarily deny and delay enjoyment of health, agriculture and environmental benefits of new biotechnology in the developing world."
More votes in favor of the protocols came from 37 NGOs from 11 countries.
"The developed countries once opposed now seem willing to accept negotiations, provided the scope is so narrow and weak that it no way interferes with their industrial goals," it said.
Pomerance, the U.S. Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of State, denied the suggestions that biotechnology industries are behind the U.S. opposition to biosafety.
Responding to the conference call for all parties to ratify the Convention on Biodiversity, Pomerance also denied that industries are influencing the U.S. against ratification.
The U.S. has not ratified it because "some senators are not supportive of biodiversity", he said.
The industries, he added, are in favor of ratification because "we could be more active as (contracting) parties instead of observers." (anr)