Delegations to QNA: High Expectations for (COP18/CMP8) Success

Doha, November 27 (QNA) - A number of delegations participating in the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP18/CMP8) have expressed their expectations the said conference will come out with important decisions that put the international efforts in the right track to contribute to reducing global warming. Heads of the delegations said in remarks to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Tuesday on the side lines of the conference that kicked off in Doha earlier Monday, that high hopes are pined on Qatar's presidency of COP-18, that the Qatari officials are making every effort to fulfill their commitments in respect to reducing global warming. Sudan's Undersecretary of environment, forestry and urban development Babekir Abdullah Ibrahim, said in a statement to QNA that one of the important factors to the success of the conference is the peoples' credibility, explaining that the world is daily witnessing signs of climatic change. Considering the hurricane Sandy, that struck US recently, one of these signs, the Sudanese official said that the governments of the developed countries, which produce the biggest ration of emissions, do not respond fast enough to this threat, adding that this is the biggest challenge facing the world movement in this regard. Babekir Abdullah Ibrahim pointed out that the United States refuses to abide by the rates of emissions reduction, and that other big countries like Japan expressed willingness to withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol, which was the only hope that creates a legal mechanism binding on Member States and parties to reduce their emissions of warming gases. In his remarks to QNA, Babiker Abdullah Ibrahim said "We believe the major countries and countries with high emission rates must commit to reducing emissions, and in the meantime there must an agreement on a legally binding protocol that includes all countries, because climate change will affect the entire world". He expressed confidence in the Qatari Leadership and belief that the Qatari officials will make great efforts for COP18 to come out with permanent recommendations for reducing emissions of warming gases. For his part, Yemen's Delegate said in remarks to QNA that significant challenges are facing the negotiations on climate change, with respect to the second phase of the Kyoto Protocol, because the major countries refuse to give real figures concerning their obligations to reduce emissions, and therefore large debates will take place during this conference. Asked whether COP18 will succeed in obliging these countries to reduce emissions rates, the Yemeni delegate said that this depends on the willingness of these countries to agree on the next phase of the Kyoto Protocol, and on the way of the negotiations, explaining that they always create obstacles to the subject and want the protocol to end in December rather than continue to a second phase starting in 2013, expressing his expectations that the Doha conference will succeed in backing this objective. He added that the developing countries put this issue continuously in all conferences and informal negotiations, but mostly the major countries always have pretexts to evade its international obligations in this important topic and they do not respond to the provisions of the Kyoto Protocol and its mechanisms. The head of Climate Change Unit at Morocco's Water and Environment Ministry Mustafa ben Dahbi said in similar remarks to QNA that this session follows a set of decisions that have been adopted in Durban, which is the main starting point to a series of new negotiations on adopting a new legal framework, by all states, to reduce gas emissions, and global warming, and this constantly and significantly linked Kyoto Protocol in its second phase, which will contribute greatly to easing the crisis facing the universe for a long time. He stressed the importance of Kyoto Protocol to continue, adding that the earth temperature does not allow further emissions by major the industrialized countries, pointing that developing countries are the most affected. For his part, Palestinian Environment Minister's Advisor Nidal Bader told QNA that the biggest challenge to this conference is converting the decisions into actions, noting that it is possible. On expected disagreements regarding the implementation of the second phase of Kyoto Protocol, Bader said that the biggest challenge was agreeing on a second term of commitment, which was done in Durban. He added that there are issues like whether the commitments of the industrial countries will change or not, will there be new commitments are the industrial countries ready to make these commitments, explaining that these issues will be addressed in Doha COP18. The President of World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO) Marwan Abdelhamid on his turn, said that the federation has formed a special committee to address climate issues in the world and to give engineers' opinion in this regard. The UN conference on Climate Change kicked off earlier Monday with the participation of 194 countries. The Conference is attended by more than 17 thousand , of whom 7 thousand members of non-governmental organizations, and the 1500 journalists. It is covered by 90 TV stations. This is the first time for a Middle Eastern country, the State of Qatar, to host an international conference of this size and importance. (QNA)