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Ambassador Mark G. Hambley, Alternate Head of U.S. Delegation and U.S. Special Negotiator on Climate Change Press Briefing by the U.S. Delegation to the Fifth Session of the Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-5) Bonn, Germany, October 29, 1999

Ambassador Hambley: I have been to four Conferences of the Parties of the Climate Change Convention and this is the first time that we have had as much progress achieved in terms of moving forward on the very intricate agenda which we always face, than I have seen in the past four Conferences of the Parties.

I must say that because in the key areas, I think there is advanced work on all the decisions which will need to be taken -- many by Monday, most of them by next Friday -- when we do our overall cleanup of the various work which is ahead of us. I think on the key areas which are of concern, certainly to the United States and to most countries participating in this process, we are making some considerable headway. For example, in the work on mechanisms -- which is of course key to our ability to reach conclusions at COP-6 -- we have already been able to go through the very long and detailed synthesis report. The first reading was conducted and finished last night. This morning they had additional discussions to move that process forward. There will be some hurdles which will have to be faced, but I think that with the goodwill among all Parties I believe we will be able to move ahead forthrightly through the weekend and through next week.

On compliance as well, the other key issue which we see as being something to be decided at the same time as the mechanisms work, there has also been considerable progress. I would note that there, too, there has been a lot of goodwill among the Parties which are participating. [This is the case] not just in the plenary of the Working Group itself, but also among those individuals -- the so-called Friends --who are assisting the Chair of the Group to advance the process in a way that will allow us once more to reach conclusions which we need to have by the sixth Conference of the Parties.

Capacity building is another area which is of very great importance. There, the issues are on the table; there are various texts which are being suggested, reviewed and considered, and I look forward to movement in that area as well. In other areas which are perhaps more technical in nature -- the areas of sinks, of bunker fuels, national reporting, the very intricate areas of national communications -- all these areas have certain complexities attached to them -- but all are being addressed in a way which will allow us to come up with conclusions in a reasonable manner, hopefully by Monday, if not, by later in the week.

So I think in general we are setting ourselves up for a very good basis for next week's high-level segment starting on Tuesday. We certainly look forward to receiving our ministers and high-level officials and having them engage, take stock of the situation here in Bonn and giving us some guidance as to steps forward.

Question: Alan Tate (various) Australian publications.

You say there is great progress on the flexibility mechanisms. I know within the agenda here in Bonn, the disagreement between the EU and JUSSCANZ on the flexibility mechanisms isn't really on the agenda. However, looking ahead towards COP-6 it is such a fundamental disagreement, I wonder if I could ask you to forecast how that issue may be resolved in the intervening months?

Ambassador Hambley: As we elaborate the rules and procedures which will guide us through the mechanisms -- joint implementation, international emissions trading and the Clean Development Mechanism -- and as we also demonstrate the efforts which we are taking in the United States to address the problem of global warming under terms of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, which we have ratified -- I believe that will remove a lot of the impetus for these particular restrictions. Although others argue strongly for these so-called ceilings or caps to be placed on the mechanisms, I think the arguments against this position will become more apparent as our discussions continue. The arguments which we make against [a cap on trading, namely that this will] lack additional economic and environmental advantages, certainly will become more apparent. I think that governments want to reach these targets under Kyoto in the most cost-effective manner possible. That means these mechanisms have got to be created in ways that do not have any strings attached to them. That doesn't mean they are not going to be effective instruments, they will be. I think as we develop the rules for them though, that will remove a lot of the sting out of some of the criticism which has been directed at them.

Question: There have been precious few rumors floating around this COP, unfortunately. One, however that is has to do with the potential for a millennium statement to be formulated next week by ministers dealing with COP-6 at the start of a new century. I just wonder if you have been participating in discussions on that potential.

Ambassador Hambley: I think that generally when statements are made by ministers they are going to be consensus statements. Those have to be very carefully negotiated and normally they are done well in advance of meetings. Certainly the United States has been involved in no such drafting at all. Our ministers come here focused on the way forward. It is quite possible that the ministers may decide to make a statement on their own once they are here. I think in terms of our drafting, or preparing for some kind of a millennial statement, that is not being done.

Thank you.

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