Not an official document;
for use by the media only

Geneva, 13 December 1996 -- Delegates from some 140 countries concluded a round of negotiations here today for a new agreement that would commit developed countries to reduce their greenhouse-gas emissions after the year 2000.

There will be three more negotiating sessions next year in March, August, and October before the Parties to the Climate Change Convention meet in Kyoto, Japan in December 1997 to adopt a "protocol or another legal instrument."

"Countries have started to elaborate their positions more fully and to focus more on the final result", says Chairman Raul Estrada-Oyuela, Ambassador of Argentina. "Most importantly, we have now crossed the threshold from the analysis phase to the negotiating phase"

The discussions were based on written proposals from 13 governments. These proposals contained possible elements that could be included in the future agreement. During the meeting, governments expanded on these papers and brought forth additional ideas. Some of the key issues were:

* Timetables and targets for emissions reductions. A number of governments are calling for 10% reductions in CO2 by the year 2005; some are calling for an even more ambitious cut of 20% by this date. Others however believe a 2005 date is unrealistic and propose a 10% cut by 2010.

* Coordinated vs flexible policies. Some governments are arguing the need for internationally coordinated policies, while others believe it would be more cost-efficient to allow each developed country to adopt the policies and measures best suited to its national circumstances.

* Common vs differentiated commitments. There are differing points of view on whether all developed countries should have the same targets and timetable, or whether it would be more fair if different countries should have different commitments based on various possible formulae (e.g. per-capita targets).

* Implications for developing countries. The current talks are explicitly focused on developed countries and are not to address new commitments for developing countries. However, there are some proposals by developed countries to allow other countries to adhere to the future agreement on a voluntary basis. Meanwhile, a number of developing countries want the agreement's possible trade and economic impacts on developing countries to be dealt with.

Chairman Estrada been mandated to incorporate these various positions into a text that can serve as a basis for negotiations at the next meeting. Moving from 13 papers to one will greatly facilitate the negotiating process and allow the draft agreement to become increasingly concrete and specific.

Note to journalists. Mr. Michael Zammit Cutajar, the Convention's Executive Secretary, and Mr. Richard Kinley, Coordinator of the secretariat's support to the meeting, will brief the press at 1:15 in Room 3. For more information please contact Michael Williams from 3 to 5:30 at 9799242.