Fears summit will be talking shop

THERE were mounting fears last night that the Earth Summit in Johannesburg would fail to reach agreement before world leaders arrive for the climax of the meeting next week.

Exhausted negotiators have been racing to try and agree ways to enrich poor nations while protecting the planet but a series of rows between the EU and US over trade, energy and sanitation threatens to unravel the final agreement.

The European Union wants more timetables and targets for concrete action to be included in the final summit text.

But US negotiators have been fighting these proposals, with many observers believing they want to maintain the status quo.

Environment minister Martin Cullen, who is taking part in the summit talks, said a range of timetables were vital to a successful final summit text.

"The EU is determined to turn words into action. That's why we're committed to securing a positive outcome on environmental targets and agreement on when deadlines must be met."

He said important agreement had already been reached on the use of harmful chemicals which, Mr Cullen said, was good news for human health and the environment as a whole.

However, it took a whole day for agreement to be reached on this issue alone and some negotiators now fear that time is running out.

The remaining disputes may well drag on until the weekend, forcing world leaders to forge compromises rather than wading slowly through the fine print of the summit text.

Important issues such as sanitation, renewable energy and human rights have not yet been agreed upon.

Environmental groups, meanwhile, have protested that negotiations have already fallen short of what is needed to save the planet.

Ireland's Green party chairman, John Gormley, said: "Yes, we may get an agreement, but what worries me is the almost universal acceptance at this summit that globalisation which is just a fancy word for new improved capitalism is the only game in town."

Mr Gormley, who was debating at an inter-parliamentary party meeting in Johannesburg, said he was also disappointed the issues at Johannesburg were not debated in the Irish parliament.

"Ireland has enjoyed unprecedented levels of economic growth and as is often the case the environment has taken second place on the agenda," he said.

A major protest march on Saturday is planned from the black township of Alexandra to the nearby summit venue in the rich suburb of Sandton, which may inject a human face into the disputes between the haves and have-nots rather than dull diplomatic language.

World leaders will begin to arrive in Johannesburg on Monday, where the negotiations will enter their final phase.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell and British prime minister Tony Blair are due to arrive on Monday.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern will arrive on Tuesday, where he will meet with Martin Cullen and Junior Foreign Affairs Minister, Tom Kitt who have already arrived.