RI eyes partnerships in Joburg

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