RI PLAYS IMPORTANT ROLE IN COPENHAGEN CLIMATE CHANGE TALKS

Pekanbaru, Indonesia, Nov 16 (ANTARA) - Indonesia is one of the countries that will play an important role in next month's climate change talks in Copenhagen, a British minister said.

"Indonesia will play a very important role in the Copenhagen meeting because it has vast forests," British State Minister for Energy and Climate Change Joan Ruddock said here on Monday.

While in Indonesia, Ruddock is also scheduled to meet with a number of ministers with regard to Indonesia's target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 26 percent-40 percent by 2020.

He expressed his belief that participants of the climate change meeting would fully support the Indonesian commitment by providing the country with funds to deal with the impact of climate change.
The Copenhagen meeting is seen by many as a last resort to agree on painful measures needed to ease the pace of climate change.

The aim of the U.N. meeting is not only to set ambitious targets for cutting greenhouse gases, but also raise funds to help poor
countries tackle global warming.

Ruddock was in Riau for a one-day visit during which he inspected peatland forest in Langgam subdistrict, Pelalawan district.

Accompanied by British Ambassador to Indonesia Martin Hatfull, Ruddock also held a meeting with local and international NGO activists.

The peatland has been under the spotlight after police detained 21 Greenpeace activists for sealing the heavy-duty equipment of a logging company.
The Greenpeace activists from several countries had set up a camp in an effort to save peatland forests in Kampar Peninsula since October.***