Kazakhstan's: a troubled road to Annex I?
At a meeting of the COP-5 Plenary, Kazakhstan proposed an amendment to the UNFCCC to allow it to join Annex l. He told the Plenary that his country could fulfil the obligations set out in Articles 4.2.(a) and (b) due to the domestic economic conditions. A number of countries, including Saudi Arabia and the Marshall Islands, called for more information before a decision is taken. India was one of several countries concerned about the prospect of creating a precedent in the event of agreement to amend the Convention. He suggested that Kazakhstan could use Convention Article 4.2(g) to take on Annex l commitments. The COP President Jan Szyszko (Poland) said he would conclude consultations by the end of the COP session and report to the Plenary. Apart from the difficulties posed by the prospect of an amendment to the Convention, there is concern within delegations and NGOs about the possibility of introducing another source of 'hot air.'
The Kazakhstan statement is presented here on RealAudio

Newsbyte: Representatives of NGOs have been alarmed by findings in a Wageningen Univeristy research report that the entire potential of the Kyoto Protocol provision on "additional" human-induced LULUCF activities (Article 3.4) could allow for a vast increase in atmospheric emissions for a number of Annex l countries. These countries would still be in compliance with their assigned amounts. With one estimate that the inclusion of additional activities could introduce some 3000 million tonnes of GHGs annually for Canada, Australia, the US and the EU.