BASIC countries put up united front at Durban climate talks

The Economic Times , Wednesday, December 07, 2011
Correspondent : NITIN SETHI,TNN
DURBAN: It was BASIC countries' day at Durban on Tuesday with the ministers of South Africa, India, Brazil and China forcefully restating their joint position on a new legally binding deal to a packed house at the convention hall.

With rumours swirling in the International Convention Centre of Durban about a divide between the four emerging economies every word was read into by hundreds of journalists gathered at the first BASIC media outing at Durban. The message was clear. The four had not deviated from their original line drawn at the last BASIC meeting - they are ready to look at the possibility of a new deal post-2020 after a review of the existing convention had been completed and several other long-standing conditions met by the developed world.

The Chinese minister Xie Zhenhua said, "There are more rumours in this convention centre than rooms. And the rumours are about divisions between theBASIC countries. They are incorrect."

He then went on to restate the joint position and China's caveats for a new single legal binding compact that TOI had reported earlier. In sync, Indian environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan said, "We have already walked the extra mile and in fact are doing more than what our partners are doing."

She added, "In these negotiations some countries have projected the question of legally bnding agreement in future as a panacea for climate change. This question confuses the implementation with ambition (to cut emissions)."

She reiterated, as TOI had reported earlier noting that the question of equity, intellectual property rights on green technologies and trade barriers needed to be resolved first.

She had said to TOI, "I have come to Durban with an open mind," she told TOI on Monday night after a presentation on equity by India. But I would like to know whether it would be binding only for mitigation and whether it will be same for Annex-1 (developed countries) and non-Annex1 (developing countries) countries. Commitment for finance and technology, whether it will be present or not, how will equity figure in such an agreement, how will IPR be handled."

Brazil then added on that while it was in favour of such a deal too it agreed with the caveats raised by China and India and thought such a deal should take place post-2020.

The South African minister too affirmed that the host country stood by the original BASIC statement even as it worked along with BASIC and other disagreeing countries such as EU to find a solution.

The four ministers did not hedge on their views setting up an eyeball to eyeball match for the remaining days of the climate negotiations. EU has so far refused to back off from its position demanding that talks on a new deal begin at Durban itself and be sealed by 2015. With US inclined to go with BASIC using other excuses the fight is expected to go down to the last minute though in a first a trilateral meeting of BASIC-USA-EU is expected late at night in the hope of finding middle ground.

 
SOURCE : http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/environment/developmental-issues/basic-countries-put-up-united-front-at-durban-climate-talks/articleshow/11008911.cms
 


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