JOHANNESBURG: ACTION PLAN AGREED ON, DECLARATION UNCERTAIN

JOHANNESBURG, Sept 4 (Hina) - After ten days of negotiations at a high level, the UN Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg is nearing its end at which world leaders are expected to officially adopt the event's Action Plan, while the adoption of the Political Declaration is uncertain. #L# The Action Plan, which should contribute to efforts to decrease poverty and stop the destruction of the environment on the planet, will be adopted by more than 100 statesmen in the afternoon part of the summit's plenary session. The adoption of the second final document, the Political Declaration, is still uncertain due to disagreement over a large number of its articles, sources in the Croatian delegation said. It has been mentioned that a presidential statement by the event's host, the Republic of South Africa, could be adopted instead. According to the summit's secretary-general, Nitin Desai, the conference has achieved its goals: the question of sustainable development has been returned to the world agenda and the feeling of urgency in protecting the world environment has been created. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the Johannesburg summit had not met all expectations, but he was satisfied that it had again pointed to the importance of sustainable development and the awareness of the need to establish balance between development and environmental protection. Russia and Canada today announced they would ratify the Kyoto Protocol, thus filling the ratification quota in 55 percent of countries with the same share of greenhouse emissions, which ensures the agreement's going into force by the end of the year. The United States has managed to impose its stands in a set of compromise regulations of the Action Plan, but the announced ratification of the Kyoto Protocol by Russia and Canada has dealt a blow to the attempts of President George Bush's administration to defer the implementation of the Kyoto document. The US, whose representatives' behaviour at the summit was described as unacceptable, suffered another blow to its reputation during today's address by Secretary of State Colin Powell, which was interrupted by catcalls and shouts. At the beginning of Powell's speech, Greenpeace activists carrying banners burst into the conference hall. Powell said the USA was taking measures to respond to the problem of global warming and changes of the climate, a statement which encountered the loudest protests. Powell announced a 50 percent increase in US assistance to undeveloped countries. US funds for undeveloped countries in the next three years total 10 billion dollars. (hina) rml sb