Sudan adopts key negotiator excluded by RP in climate talks

COPENHAGEN - Sudan has adopted veteran Philippine negotiator Bernarditas de Castro Muller after she was dropped from the country's official delegation to the landmark climate change talks here that are scheduled to begin Monday, sources from the Sudanese delegation said Sunday. Muller serves as the coordinator and spokesperson of G77 and China, the main negotiating bloc defending the interests of more than 130 developing countries in the crucial negotiations, which will run from Dec. 7 to 18 in the capital of Denmark. Sudan, represented by Ambassador Lumumuba di Aping, is currently the chair of G77 and China. The information from the Sudanese delegation was confirmed by Elenita Dano of the Third World Network, a close associate of Muller. On Friday, environment campaigners had expressed alarm over the exclusion of Muller from the list of the Philippine delegation, saying this would weaken not only the country's position but also the negotiating clout of developing nations that are wrestling with rich countries over carbon reduction targets. “The negotiators of industrialized countries are really afraid of Ditas Muller because she keeps reminding them of their responsibilities. They want her out of the picture so that they can push their own agenda. There are many developing countries that depend on Muller to defend their interests," said Chito Tionko of the Civil Society Organizations (CSO) Working Group on Climate Change and Development. The coalition released a statement Friday condemning the exclusion of Muller and demanding that President Arroyo “make the official list of the Philippine delegation to Copenhagen transparent and inclusive of highly qualified and trained negotiators." Muller has not commented on the issue but Dano told GMANews.TV earlier: “We received information from a number of sources that it was (President Arroyo) herself who decided that Ditas should not be in the Philippine delegation in Copenhagen." She added, “Without Ditas in Copenhagen, G77 will shatter into little pieces - playing on the old-and-tested divide and rule game of the rich countries. This would be a grand embarrassment for the Philippine government in the multilateral processes." A retired Filipina diplomat based in Switzerland and environmental adviser to the Department of Foreign Affairs, Muller has represented the Philippines in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) since its inception in 1994. She also played a key role in the negotiations for the Kyoto Protocol, which sets binding targets for carbon emission reductions in industrialized countries, in 1997. October 6, 2009 interview of Bernaditas de Castro Muller by PIA FAUSTINO. The conference in Copenhagen is expected to finalize a deal that will spell out new targets for rich countries when the first five-year commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012. However, the United States has refused to sign the treaty and is leading efforts to junk the Kyoto Protocol in favor of a new agreement that could include targets for other top emitters such as China and India, which are developing countries. Muller has consistently pointed out in previous negotiations that the UNFCCC, which the US signed, spells out “common but differentiated responsibilities" for rich and poor countries in view of the historical role of rich countries in contributing 80 per cent of the current level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. (See: Countdown to Copenhagen: climate talks face deadlock) One of the critical roles of Muller is to lead the efforts among developing countries to push for realistic financing for the so-called Adaptation Fund that would help disaster-prone countries, such as the Philippines, cope with the negative impact of climate change. Only 20 delegates

Aside from Muller, many other civil society members who had negotiated for the country during pre-conference meetings this year in Bangkok and Barcelona were also removed from the Philippine delegation to Copenhagen, according to a source close to the climate talks. As early as August, Presidential Adviser on Climate Change Heherson Alvarez had recommended 38 government and civil society representatives to the climate talks. The Department of Foreign Affairs recommended more than 100 participants, the source said. However, the final list prepared by the office of the Executive Secretary and submitted to Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo last November 24 only had 18 names, and later expanded to 20, but did not include Muller. A copy of the list was furnished to the Manila media. In a press statement Friday, Malacanang said Mrs. Arroyo will lead the Philippine delegation during the high-level segment of the conference and “will ask the industrialized world to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 30 percent" but did not indicate the time frame for the target nor the members of her party. The statement said Mrs. Arroyo presided over the first board meeting of the Climate Change Commission, a new agency under the Office of the President created under the Climate Change act. (See: Arroyo signs landmark climate change measure) Environment advocates have expressed concern that Mrs. Arroyo is backing down on the Philippines’ agenda to push for emission reduction targets among rich countries within the range of 25 to 40 per cent from 1990 levels by 2020, as recommended by scientific experts that constitute the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. “We used to be one of those countries that was strongest in insisting on deep and early carbon cuts. But now, just because of the dictates of the U.S. and their allies, we have to weaken our position? President Arroyo has clearly sold out on the interests of the Filipino people," said Meggy Nolasco of the Philippine Climate Watch Alliance. – with reports from Yasmin Arquiza, GMANews.TV