Hillary Clinton
brings positive momentum
After
statements by the US Secretary of State on financing, a
number of key players have agreed on a draft text that will
be discussed on the UN conference's last day.
Morten Andersen - 18/12/2009 - Statements Thursday by Hillary
Clinton brought new energy to stalled negotiations in Copenhagen.
The US Secretary of State assured that the US supports 100
billion US dollars to be provided annually for climate change
measures in the developing world by 2020, and that the US
is ready to pay its share.
During
the night, Ms. Clinton together with heads of state or government
from 25 major economies, EU Commission President Jose Manuel
Barroso and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon drafted a text
to provide the foundation for the discussions on the conference's
final day, Friday.
Clinton's
announcement on funding was widely praised.
According
to AP, Yoshiko Kijima, a senior Japanese negotiator, said
it sent "a strong signal by Obama (due to arrive in
Copenhagen Friday morning) that he will persuade his own
people that we need to show something to developing countries.
I really respect that"; Swedish Environment Minister
Andreas Carlgren said Clinton added "political momentum";
and India's Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh called it
"a good step forward."
The
draft text also states that the rise in global temperature
should be kept below two degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial
levels.
Da UNFCCC
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