COP18 President Optimistic

Doha, December 03 (QNA) - HE the President of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP18) Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Attiyah expressed optimism that the conference, being held in Doha, will come out with results satisfactory to all parties. Addressing a joint press conference with the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Christiana Figueres, HE Al-Attiyah said today that the first week of the conference was so busy. "This is our mission and this is our goal. Through working with the Executive Secretary and all parties and groups and with their support, I am optimistic to reach desired results," he stressed. In response to a question about what was published by some Indian newspapers about negotiations being held behind closed doors, the President of COP18 stressed that the presidency of the conference is working with full transparency and does not have any hidden agenda, saying "we do not work behind the scenes and we always ask all parties to share our thoughts and our discussions." He added "I can not find an explanation for such reports." Stressing that the presidency is working openly and without hidden agenda or "secret negotiations, HE Al-Attiyah said "this is not my style of work. Throughout my career I worked openly with all parties. I traveled before the conference to many countries, at their invitations, such as India, China, Japan, Belgium and others, to give them confidence that we do not working behind closed doors, but rather with full transparency and on the basis of trust." On an other hand, HE the President of the Conference said " we need the support of the minister in the high-level meeting and we want to discuss all the issues and agree on the underway work. Regarding the claims of the youth for expediting solutions to the climate change problem, he said "We understand the objectives of the youth who ask us to move quickly, but sometimes we need to be patient, and we can not change the world overnight. This is a cumulative effect." He added "We are all facing challenges because of the warming emissions and how to reduce them and create a new world," referring to a meeting with youth delegation a few days ago, where he talked to them frankly about how to achieve common goals. On the Arab presence in the conference, Al-Attiyah stated that he visited the Arab League in Cairo to encourage Arabs to effectively participate in the conference. He added that there are no Arab group at this conference, as the Arab countries are spread over more than one continent and belong to more than one group such as the G 77 and China, and the African Group. HE Al-Attiyah expressed hope that this situation would change in the future and that Arabs will cooperate among themselves on important issues that deal with change climate. He emphasized the importance of the role that should be played by the Arab world in confronting climate change issues because they are an important part of the global system. HE Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Attiyah praised the role of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in addressing climate issues, saying "We are delighted in the Gulf Cooperation Council that we are moving rapidly in the issues of climate change through the development of legislations and laws, and we also work seriously to face the various challenges," stressing that the GCC countries are moving on the right track in this regard. The Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change stressed in the press conference that the first week of COP18 was productive. She said that there was a number of new drafts and articles proposed by the participants that will be negotiated. Figueres said that a number of ministers who will participate in Tuesday's high-level meeting arrived in Doha. They will have a briefing session on the progress made in the past few days, she added. On how the negotiations were proceeding, she said that a number of issues discussed in Durban were set to be decided on. She added that the participants felt the need to come to an agreement in the Doha conference. Figueres stressed that the progress made in the past two years was more than what's done in the past 10 years, stressing that the Doha conference be an important step forward. She said that the participants will reach a conclusion on signing the second commitment period of Kyoto here in Doha. The Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change expressed her hope that awareness will be raised on the impact of climate change, particularly in GCC countries. She added that Qatar's hosting of the event reflected the state's understanding of this region's needs. She praised Qatar's different initiatives in dealing with climate change. (QNA)