German Environment Minister - "One Cannot Expect Concrete Results" On Bush Climate Summits- Reuters

[hatrack]

BERLIN, Sept 26 (Reuters) - A conference in Washington of the world's biggest emitters of greenhouse gases that starts on Thursday is unlikely to produce any tangible results, German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Wednesday.

In a telephone interview with Reuters, Gabriel said the participating nations would likely not budge on their positions at the meeting, called by U.S. President George W. Bush, as it might hurt their negotiating positions later. "One cannot expect concrete results," said Gabriel, speaking from the United States.

He said none of the world's top polluting nations would want to show their hands before the U.N. climate talks in December in Bali, where delegates hope to discuss a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol on cutting harmful emissions. "No one wants to publicly surrender their position because that would damage their negotiating position," said Gabriel, who will attend the Washington meeting.

EDIT

Only the United States and the chief U.N. climate change representative, Yvo de Boer, are scheduled to make public comments at the Washington meeting.

EDIT/END

http://uk.reuters.com/article/gc04/idUKL2693487220070926

[NNadir]

1. The German Environment Minister is a specialist at not seeing concrete results.

That is, of course, unless you count the concrete being poured for their new coal plants.

[razzleberry]

2. Germany exempts coal-electric generation from carbon limits

attn: Germans
stfu