MONDAY
UPDATE: The
Opening Ceremonies of the Extraordinary Session of the COP were
held in the morning and included an address by the President of
Colombia. The BSWG Plenary began in the afternoon. The Chair presented
his text for a protocol and requested the group to adopt it. He
then opened the floor for comments and told delegates their statements
would be reflected in the report of the meeting, which will be presented
to the COP. Many delegations voiced strong dissatisfaction with
the text and noted that it did not reflect consensus.
During the afternoon ExCOP Plenary, President Juan Mayr deferred
discussion on the report of the BSWG and called for the formation
of a small group to continue deliberations on the protocol. The
group includes 10 spokespersons with 2 advisors each, representing
various interest groups:
- one delegate from Central and Eastern Europe,
- one delegate from the European Union
- one delegate from Central America
- two delegates from the Miami Group (one Northern and one Southern)
- four delegates from the Like-Minded Group
- one delegate from "a compromise" country (Switzerland)
The issues to be discussed include
Articles 4 (Scope) and Article 5 (AIA procedure). The group is expected
to meet through the night and a Plenary of the ExCOP is scheduled
for 9am.
WEEKEND
RECAP: Optimism ran headlong into skepticism and confusion this
weekend as the negotiations moved back and forth between intermittent
meetings of the Friends of the Chair, Friends of the Minister and
a myriad of other informal consultations among interest groups.
Many delegates complained about the chaotic schedule of meetings
and a lack of clear signals as to the current state of play. One
participant characterized the competing discussions as operating
in "parallel universes," colliding only while in line
for fresh juices and Colombian coffee.
By the evening, rumors abounded that the entire process had broken
down and that some major groups were threatening to pull out. Continued
deliveries of food and coffee to meeting rooms and the occasional
messenger racing between the two negotiating camps provided the
only signs that the talks were still underway. Environmental NGOs
circulated a paper listing the categories of LMOs currently excluded
from the draft protocol. One joked that the current scope was so
narrow as to effectively create the Cartagena Protocol on Animal
Vaccines.
A number of developing country delegates in particular expressed
frustration over the lack of transparency and democracy in the negotiating
process over the weekend. While many continued to be kept in the
dark over progress or lack thereof, others with "insider connections"
said that the light at the end of the tunnel was still dim.
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