Indonesia wants Bali Commitment talks to end here
Indonesia wants Bali Commitment talks to end here
Berni K. Moestafa, The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali
Indonesia has demanded that delegates conclude within this week talks on the Bali Commitment, which promises more international aid to alleviate poverty and preserve nature, as a near deadlock has triggered calls for negotiations to proceed at the upcoming Johannesburg summit in South Africa.
Head of the Indonesian delegation Makarim Wibisono said on Monday that Indonesia, as host of the UN meeting on sustainable development, must get delegates to agree on the final text of the Bali Commitment.
The Bali Commitment, or the Chairman's Text, is expected to set priorities for the global economy over the next 10 years. World leaders will ratify the action plan at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg next August through September.
But disagreements on the levels of commitment, and delegates refusing to make political trade-offs, have left negotiations at a near standstill.
Asked whether taking the negotiations to the upcoming Johannesburg summit was an option, Makarim answered no.
"The procedure is based on the UN resolution and that requires us to finalize talks on the action plan here," he said at a media meeting.
"In negotiations the point is how to reach a deal or a compromise. You might continue for another 200 years, but without the political will to come to a deal that will not happen."
Talks on the action plan of the Bali Commitment have entered their second week after missing two deadlines last Friday and Saturday. A third deadline was set for Monday night but was canceled later in the day.
UN press official Pragati J. Pascale said that Monday night discussions on the draft revision of the Chairman's Text would be held in groups.
The results, she said, were to be reported on Tuesday morning, after which chairman Emil would draft a new Chairman's Text. The text would be presented for final discussion at the plenary meeting, slated also on Tuesday, one day before the ministerial meeting.
Makarim said Indonesia would have to compromise its position during the negotiations if it wanted to finalize the Bali Commitment here.
He added that compromises could not come at the expense of national interests, if they meant accepting a lesser gain than demanded.
Another Indonesian delegate, who requested anonymity, described this as "aiming for five, asking for 10 and getting seven."
The delegate said that paragraphs in the negotiated text facing opposition included, among other things, calls for increased aid, time-bound measures and good governance.
Makarim has said that preserving the text as originally submitted by the meeting's chairman, Emil Salim, was in the interests of Indonesia.
When negotiations started on Monday last week, the Chairman's Text contained 100 points and was 39 pages thick. As of last Sunday, the text grew to 78 pages, with 158 points.
According to the Indonesian delegate, the inclusion of additional points into the text was a negotiating tactic.
"They (the delegates) add these new demands so that they can exchange them for others once the deal-making process starts," he explained.
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) also called on delegates not to force a deal in Bali if it meant caving in to pressure from developed countries.
The Indonesian People's Forum urged delegates to use the three months until Johannesburg to work on a better text.
Hira Jhamtani of KONPHALINDO, a Jakarta-based environmental NGO, said there was still hope for a strong Chairman's Text, providing developed countries could show their commitment to sustainable development at Bali.
"It is not too late to do so. Such commitments can be forged even within this week," Hira said.