Ban Ki-moon confident of 'strong' Copenhagen deal

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was optimistic the upcoming landmark climate conference in Copenhagen would produce a "strong and important political accord" to limit harmful emissions, in an interview with French channel TV5.

AFP - UN chief Ban Ki-Moon voiced optimism that the landmark UN climate talks would lead to binding limits for harmful emissions and urged countries to set "ambitious" targets, in comments broadcast Sunday.
  
"I am convinced that the conference in Copenhagen will give us a strong and important political accord which will then be the basis for an accord that is legally binding," the UN Secretary-General said in a pre-recorded interview due to be broadcast on French television channel TV5.
  
The accord must include "ambitious targets for the reduction of greenhouse emissions in the medium-term by developed countries" and "equally ambitious targets for developing countries to limit their emissions," he said.
  
He added that he hoped the accord reached at the Copenhagen talks would include 10 billion dollars (6.7 million euros) of financial support to help developing countries adapt to the emissions changes.
  
The UN's top climate official Yvo de Boer said on Sunday that three times that amount will be needed over the coming three years however.
  
Ban said 10 billion dollars was a "short-term" financing aim to serve until the accord enters force, hopefully in 2010, and that he hoped up to 100 billion dollars would be made available later.
  
"The financial support will be the key to fill the gap that exists between developed and developing countries," he said. "We think that we are well committed and on the right path."
  
The 192 members of the UN's Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) are meeting in the Danish capital from Monday at the high-stakes summit, with more than 100 leaders set to attend the finale on December 18.
  
 

Date created : 2009-12-06