JOHANNESBURG SUMMIT NEARING COMPLETION

JOHANNESBURG, Sept 3 (Hina) - World leaders attending the UN Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg on Tuesday continued debate on ways to decrease poverty in the world and preserve the environment as negotiators were preparing the final drafts of the summit's documents - the Action Plan and the Political Declaration - which should be adopted at the plenary session on Wednesday. #L# European Commission President Romano Prodi and Danish Premier Anders Fogh Rasmussen - currently presiding over the EU - said at a press conference that the EU intended to give 1.4 billion euros for the construction of water supply and sewage systems in African countries. This, they said, confirmed the leading role of the EU and its member countries in taking over concrete obligations at the Johannesburg Summit and making efforts to include in the Action Plan objectives and deadlines that would ensure true progress in realising the concept of sustainable development from Agenda 21. The Croatian delegation at the Summit basically supported the attitude taken by the EU. Croatia's stands were expressed through the stand of European countries in transition, Croatia's Environmental Protection and Zoning Minister, Bozo Kovacevic, said. After ten days of negotiations, representatives of countries from the so-called Vienna Process on Monday reached a compromise on the last contentious article of the Action Plan relating to renewable energy sources. The text adopted calls on all countries to urgently increase the share of renewable energy sources in the total energy produced. As it does not include any percentages or deadlines, the text, along with other compromise formulations in the Plan, was rejected by environmental protection activists who named it a step backwards in relation to Rio de Janeiro. However, Agenda 21 from Rio de Janeiro did not have a separate chapter on energy. The only remaining contentious formulation relates to health protection for women and their right to contraception and abortion. The draft notes that health service should be consistent with national legislature and cultural and religious values. The EU and Canada request that the term "human rights" be included in the document so that the term "religious values" would not be used for denying women the right to contraception and abortion. (hina) sp rml sb