Ethiopian PM Threatens Walkout By African Nations At Copenhagen If Demands Not Met - AFP

[hatrack]

African nations will walk out of climate change talks in Copenhagen if their demands, including hefty compensations from the West, are not met, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said Thursday.

One of the key demands that the world's poorest continent is making is billions of dollars in compensation to help it cope with the effects of climate change. However a panel representing the continent at the talks is yet to come up with a figure.

"If need be we are prepared to walk out of any negotiations that threatens to be another rape of the continent," said Meles, who leads the panel.

"While we reason with everyone to achieve our objective we are not prepared to rubber stamp any agreement by the powers," he told African officials and experts from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development at a meeting in Addis Ababa. "We will use our numbers to delegitimise any agreement that is not consistent with our minimal position."

EDIT

http://www.terradaily.com/2007/090903134437.22wy0ett.html

[JonQ]

1. If we don't give them billions more dollars

on top of the billions we are giving them, then we are in fact raping the entire continent?

[Nihil]

2. That's one way to get the global population down ...

... government-induced suicide on a multinational level ...?

:shrug:

Not sure that it would help with some of the other problems though
as they don't emit anything like as much CO2/toxins as the rich nations.
Still, every bit helps I suppose.

> "We will use our numbers to delegitimise any agreement that is not
> consistent with our minimal position."

Does he really think that the Copenhagen nations give a flying fuck
about Ethiopia's "delegitimising influence"?

Does he even think that his own people give a shit about "influencing
the outside world" when they are hungry, thirsty and poor?
(i.e., the citizens of the country he purports to represent rather than
the assortment of friends & relations to whom he feeds a cut of the bribes)

> One of the key demands that the world's poorest continent is making is
> billions of dollars in compensation to help it cope with the effects of
> climate change. However a panel representing the continent at the talks
> is yet to come up with a figure.

"Can I help you?"
"Yeah, we want BILLIONS of dollars"
"How many?"
"Dunno ... just BILLIONS"
"What for?"
"Dunno ... just give us the billions or we'll leave!"

And the response will be "Go outside children and play nicely while the
adults are talking".

(BTW, the word "compensation" sounds so much nicer than "bribes to the elite"
doesn't it? It's almost as good as "campaign contribution")