ENB:02:09
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MAIN COMMITTEE
Editors' Note: The proceedings of the Main Committee meeting that began at 8:00 pm last night will be reported in tomorrow's issue of the Earth Summit Bulletin.
The Main Committee began its Wednesday afternoon session with a series of announcements by the Chair, Tommy Koh, regarding the limited time available to the Committee for completion of the negotiations for all of Agenda 21. Remarking that Wednesday was the deadline for the completion of the Main Committee's work, Koh implored his colleagues in the room to refrain from extensive debate. "If we continue to bargain here, the whole Conference is in jeopardy," he said. "We must not let this Conference fail."
Koh began discussion on the Preamble and then proceeded to work sequentially through Agenda 21. The Committee approved the placement of a paragraph in the Preamble on the special needs of countries with economies in transition (paragraph 1.4 bis), with a minor amendment to paragraph 1.4, ensuring that developing countries are given priority in the allocation of new and additional financial resources.
Chapters 2-8 required no further discussion, with the exception of paragraph 7.51 in the Human Settlements chapter. This paragraph relates to the chapters on atmosphere and forests and was deferred until further consultations could take place. Discussion on Chapters 9 (atmosphere) and 10 (deforestation) was deferred until later in the evening because the contact group's reports had not yet been made available.
Discussion then turned to Chapter 12 on desertification. Koh had held a series of consultations on the two paragraphs in this chapter that deal with a future legal instrument for desertification. Based on these consultations, Koh presented compromise text on paragraph 12.40 that reads: "To request the UN General Assembly at its 47th session to establish under the aegis of the General Assembly an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for the elaboration of an international convention to combat desertification in those countries experiencing serious drought and/or desertification ... with the aim of completing it by June 1994." However, when Koh asked if the Committee could adopt this text, Portugal, on behalf of the European Community, announced that it could not accept this text. This resulted in a flurry of statements from developing and developed countries alike offering their support for Koh's compromise text and pleading with the EC to accept it. During Koh's consultations, the EC had not, in fact, opposed the idea of a global desertification convention. At one point, Koh went so far as to say that he noted with pleasure the role reversal of the US and the EC on this issue. "The US is the good guy and the EC is the bad guy," he said. Finally, at the request of Mauritania, the Committee adjourned for 10 minutes so that consultations could take place on this issue.
By the time Koh called the meeting to order, 45 minutes had passed during which numerous consultations had been held among members of the EC and between the EC and the African Group. Portugal then took the floor to announce that it would accept the wording proposed by the Chair and will support the request for a desertification convention.
As Chapters 13 (mountains) and 14 (sustainable agriculture) were clean texts, with the exception of the paragraphs on finance, Koh then turned to Chapter 15 on biodiversity. The contact group, chaired by Amb. Vincente Sanchez of Chile, forwarded a clean text to the Main Committee for adoption. Ethiopia expressed reservations with this "incomplete" text and attempted to make a rather lengthy amendment that addressed the needs of the countries and people who have given up genetic wealth without adequate compensation. Koh responded that it is not possible at this late date to reopen the text. With a quick gavel and a muted round of applause, the chapter was adopted. Ethiopia then requested the floor and gave an impassioned statement about the immense gaps in the both the biodiversity convention and this chapter of Agenda 21. "History will be our judge," he said.
Discussion on Chapter 16 on biotechnology was postponed as consultations were still underway. As Chapter 17 (oceans) was a clean text, Koh moved quickly to Chapter 18 on freshwater resources. The contact group coordinator, Bukar Shaib of Nigeria, introduced the text and explained that after the introductory text was adopted by the contact group, France had raised a point of order to demand reinstatement of a paragraph that addresses the International Conference on Water and the Environment, which was held in Dublin in January 1992. Shaib held additional consultations on this issue, however, France refused to support the compromise text unless the Dublin Conference was mentioned. India, Colombia and Argentina all urged for the introduction to be adopted as is. Koh also pleaded with France to adopt these paragraphs. France, however, maintained its position that this was an important conference, held at the request of the UNCED PrepCom, and that it should be mentioned in the introduction. Koh requested that the Committee adopt the existing paragraphs and allow France the opportunity to consult with other delegations on the Dublin Conference.
Three other paragraphs in this chapter that set target dates for the implementation of various activities remain bracketed until Chapter 33 on finance is resolved. Two paragraphs that include the phrase "people under occupation" remain bracketed at the US's request as they are the subject of consultations undertaken by Koh and were to be discussed later in the evening. Finally, the Committee was able to adopt the new language for paragraphs 18.22(p) and 18.95. The first paragraph, one of a list of activities to improve integrated water resources management, was amended to read "Dissemination of information, including operational guidelines, and promotion of education for water users, including the consideration by the United Nations of a World Water Day." The second paragraph, which addresses the impacts of climate change on water resources, was amended to ensure consistency with the Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Before Koh adjourned the meeting, the US asked what happened to paragraph 14.57(d) in the chapter on sustainable agriculture. This paragraph, which deals with plant genetic resources, had been referred to the contact group on biodiversity. Koh asked the chair of the contact group to report back on this paragraph after dinner and then proceeded to adjourn the meeting. The meeting was scheduled to resume at 8:00 pm.