ID :
100730
Sun, 01/17/2010 - 22:15
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/100730
The shortlink copeid
FEALAC to work `constructively` for next climate meet
TOKYO, Jan. 17 Kyodo -
Foreign ministers and officials from 34 East Asian and Latin American countries
reaffirmed their commitment Sunday to ''work constructively to ensure a
successful conclusion'' at the next U.N. climate conference to be held in
Mexico in November and December.
The member states of the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation also
agreed at their meeting in Tokyo that they should extend as much support as
possible to Haiti, which was hit by a major earthquake, and deepen cooperation
among themselves on anti-disaster efforts, a Japanese official said. Haiti is
not a member of the forum.
Participants from the two regions also pledged in their ''Tokyo Declaration''
issued after a two-day meeting to adopt ''wise fiscal policies and prudent
financial management policies to build a resilient and viable international
economy'' as the world recovers from the financial crisis.
Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada emphasized at a press conference the
significance of the agreement on climate change in the first major
international conference after U.N. climate talks in Copenhagen last month,
which produced an outline of a new international framework to tackle global
warming.
The next round of climate talks in Mexico is expected to craft a new legally
binding scheme to combat climate change beyond 2012, when the current
commitment period for developed countries to slash greenhouse gas emissions
under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol expires.
The declaration said that FEALAC members recognized ''much work has to be done
to strengthen the climate change regime.''
On Haiti, Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana said many countries expressed
their support for and solidarity with the quake victims. FEALAC ministers
called for ''continued efforts to rescue the victims and support the
reconstruction of Haiti'' in their statement issued Saturday.
As for the economic crisis, FEALAC countries agreed it continues to impact
negatively on both regions and reaffirmed the importance of ''developing
strategies to mitigate the impact of the crisis and to prevent future crisis,
particularly for the poor.''
Okada said the ministers recognized the need to facilitate trade and investment
between the two regions to accelerate global economic recovery.
''Recognizing that small businesses and the poor have been hit hard by the
economic crisis, we confirmed the need to support those vulnerable entities and
people,'' Okada said.
Taiana said the ''strong dynamism'' of East Asia and Latin America would help
to pull the world economy out of recession.
Okada and Taiana co-chaired the fourth meeting of FEALAC foreign ministers.
Japan hosted the gathering of the unique framework bridging two regions for the
first time.
FEALAC was launched in 1999 at the initiative of Singapore and Chile. With
Mongolia joining the forum for the first time at the Tokyo meeting, the
framework now has 16 Asian member states including Japan, China, South Korea
and Australia and 18 Latin American members such as Argentina, Brazil, Cuba and
Mexico.
Taiana said Argentina will host the next FEALAC foreign ministers' meeting in
2011.
On the sidelines of the forum, Okada held talks with his counterparts from six
Central American countries -- Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica,
Panama and the Dominican Republic -- and agreed to offer as much support as
possible to Haiti.
The Dominican Republic, which shares a border with Haiti, sought support
following the quake. The Japanese official said it is feared that the border
area could become unstable with many Haitians attempting to take refuge in the
neighboring country.
Separately, Okada met with Mexican Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa and
called for the countries to cooperate in efforts to secure adoption of a legal
document to establish a fair and effective international framework to curb
global warming at the upcoming climate talks in the Latin American country.
Espinosa said Mexico believes it will be important to reconcile the differing
interests of various groups, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
Sharp differences between developed and developing countries over ways to
mitigate and adapt to climate change have slowed the process of producing a new
framework on combating global warming.
==Kyodo
Foreign ministers and officials from 34 East Asian and Latin American countries
reaffirmed their commitment Sunday to ''work constructively to ensure a
successful conclusion'' at the next U.N. climate conference to be held in
Mexico in November and December.
The member states of the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation also
agreed at their meeting in Tokyo that they should extend as much support as
possible to Haiti, which was hit by a major earthquake, and deepen cooperation
among themselves on anti-disaster efforts, a Japanese official said. Haiti is
not a member of the forum.
Participants from the two regions also pledged in their ''Tokyo Declaration''
issued after a two-day meeting to adopt ''wise fiscal policies and prudent
financial management policies to build a resilient and viable international
economy'' as the world recovers from the financial crisis.
Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada emphasized at a press conference the
significance of the agreement on climate change in the first major
international conference after U.N. climate talks in Copenhagen last month,
which produced an outline of a new international framework to tackle global
warming.
The next round of climate talks in Mexico is expected to craft a new legally
binding scheme to combat climate change beyond 2012, when the current
commitment period for developed countries to slash greenhouse gas emissions
under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol expires.
The declaration said that FEALAC members recognized ''much work has to be done
to strengthen the climate change regime.''
On Haiti, Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana said many countries expressed
their support for and solidarity with the quake victims. FEALAC ministers
called for ''continued efforts to rescue the victims and support the
reconstruction of Haiti'' in their statement issued Saturday.
As for the economic crisis, FEALAC countries agreed it continues to impact
negatively on both regions and reaffirmed the importance of ''developing
strategies to mitigate the impact of the crisis and to prevent future crisis,
particularly for the poor.''
Okada said the ministers recognized the need to facilitate trade and investment
between the two regions to accelerate global economic recovery.
''Recognizing that small businesses and the poor have been hit hard by the
economic crisis, we confirmed the need to support those vulnerable entities and
people,'' Okada said.
Taiana said the ''strong dynamism'' of East Asia and Latin America would help
to pull the world economy out of recession.
Okada and Taiana co-chaired the fourth meeting of FEALAC foreign ministers.
Japan hosted the gathering of the unique framework bridging two regions for the
first time.
FEALAC was launched in 1999 at the initiative of Singapore and Chile. With
Mongolia joining the forum for the first time at the Tokyo meeting, the
framework now has 16 Asian member states including Japan, China, South Korea
and Australia and 18 Latin American members such as Argentina, Brazil, Cuba and
Mexico.
Taiana said Argentina will host the next FEALAC foreign ministers' meeting in
2011.
On the sidelines of the forum, Okada held talks with his counterparts from six
Central American countries -- Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica,
Panama and the Dominican Republic -- and agreed to offer as much support as
possible to Haiti.
The Dominican Republic, which shares a border with Haiti, sought support
following the quake. The Japanese official said it is feared that the border
area could become unstable with many Haitians attempting to take refuge in the
neighboring country.
Separately, Okada met with Mexican Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa and
called for the countries to cooperate in efforts to secure adoption of a legal
document to establish a fair and effective international framework to curb
global warming at the upcoming climate talks in the Latin American country.
Espinosa said Mexico believes it will be important to reconcile the differing
interests of various groups, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
Sharp differences between developed and developing countries over ways to
mitigate and adapt to climate change have slowed the process of producing a new
framework on combating global warming.
==Kyodo
