RI eyes partnerships in Joburg

JOHANNESBURG: Jakarta is eyeing bilateral partnerships in the health, education, marine and energy sectors at the second Earth Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, which appears to be heading towards deadlock.

Zoeraini, an Indonesian delegate, said on Friday that talks on partnership deals were still in their early stages.

"For these partnerships, our delegates still need more input," she said. Known as type II partnerships, they serve as alternatives to negotiated deals for a worldwide blueprint on sustainable development, called the type I partnership.

Environmentalists fear developing countries may be going for the type II partnerships, and after securing them, back down on demands for stronger commitments from developed countries as part of the sustainable development blueprint.

The World Conference on Sustainable Development is midway through but fears are running high that delegates may be heading for a stalemate over unbridgeable differences on aid, trade and time commitments. -- Antara