[News] from [guardian.co.uk]
[Environment > Copenhagen Climate change conference 2009]
Connie Hedegaard resigns as president of Copenhagen climate summit
Gordon Brown and Danish and Australian prime ministers discussed last-minute change overnight to 'ramp up' talks
Allegra Stratton and John Vidal in Copenhagen and agencies
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 16 December 2009 12.46 GMT Article history
The president of the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen, Connie Hedegaard, resigned this morning. She is to be replaced by the Danish premier.
"With so many heads of state and government having arrived it's appropriate that the prime minister of Denmark presides," Hedegaard told the 192-nation meeting. "However, the prime minister has appointed me as his special representative and I will thus continue to negotiate the ... outcome with my colleagues," she said.
Rumours circulating in the first week of the 14-day conference suggested that Hedegaard was unhappy with the contents of the so-called "Danish text" a secret negotiating text prepared by rich countries and leaked to the Guardian. It was rumoured that the prime minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, would take over to push through that text in the final stages of negotiations.
Hedegaard, who is the Danish climate and energy minister, said the move was merely procedural, and that it was more appropriate for Rasmussen to preside over the final stages of the talks when over 100 heads of state and government will be present. Separately, Hedegaard has been criticised by African nations for favouring rich nations in the negotiations.
"Approximately 115 heads of state and government have decided to participate in COP15 at summit level to close a deal in Copenhagen. This historical will to address the climate challenge is the strongest possible driver for a global agreement," said Rasmussen. "The final negotiations will be tense and strenuous. I have therefore asked minister Connie Hedegaard to continue to negotiate the Copenhagen outcome with her colleagues."
The developments followed a dramatic night during which ministerial negotiations carried on till 5am. US diplomats inserted brackets at numerous places in the negotiating text for the main strand of the negotiations that includes all countries - the long term action plan. This effectively blocked discussions on this negotiating track.
Some observers believe the US wanted to counter moves by developing countries to add their concerns to the text, effectively ensuring that discussions would have to be continued next year.
Another interpretation of the move was that it was a clever way to allow President Obama to come to the negotiations on Friday to "save the talks" by putting back in much of what had been removed.
"[Today's developments] shows that you cannot have a political statement coming out of the two draft texts that have been presented. Any new draft now will come from outside," said one diplomat. "All we can expect now is a bland political statement, and the possibility of the two draft texts going forward to be negotiated next year," said another.
A spokesperson for the British prime minister, Gordon Brown, said that Hedegaard stepping down was not a surprise and had always been planned. He confirmed that Brown, Rasmussen and the Australian prime minister, Kevin Rudd, had discussed the resignation during a three-hour meeting last night. The three had decided that Rasmussen taking over was the right thing to do to "ramp up" the urgency of the talks for the final three days.
A Department of Energy and Climate Change spokesman said: "This is a planned procedural handover to the Danish prime minister ahead at the start of the high level segment. Prime minister Rasmussen has been closely engaged in this process talking to fellow leaders over the past few months, and he will now be taking the negotiations through to the end game. Connie will remain as prime minister Rasmussen's special representative."
[Environment > Copenhagen Climate change conference 2009]
Danish police arrest 230 activists as world leaders arrive in Copenhagen
Security measures stepped up around city as thousands of demonstrators set off for mass invasion of Bella centre
Bibi van der Zee and Jonathan Watts in Copenhagen and Adam Vaughan
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 16 December 2009 10.08 GMT Article history
Danish police today arrested 230 people at various points around Copenhagen, where world leaders and officials are meeting for UN climate talks.
The news came as thousands of protesters set out in Copenhagen this morning in a bid to take over the conference centre where the talks are taking place. The organisers of the mass "Reclaim Power" march, the Climate Justice Action and Climate Justice Now! (CJN) networks of campaigners, said they hope to enter the Bella centre today, where NGOs and activist groups were struggling to gain entry this morning, to hold a "people's assembly" in protest at the direction the talks are taking.
In the bitter cold outside the Bella centre where the conference is being held, a group of around 60 people including indigenous groups, mainstream environment groups and journalist and activist Naomi Klein were protesting about NGOs being excluded from the conference centre. They had been met by police who warned that they may be arrested, although there has not been any violence. Klein said of the handling of the protests that, "Denmark is losing its reputation for being a good world citizen."
It is not yet clear what the 150 arrests this morning were for or whether they are part of the Reclaim Power event. Around 4,000 people have set off as part of a "blue bloc", one of several groups that are converging on the summit from different directions. The groups marching on the centre hope to be joined by more than a thousand delegates from inside the centre in a show of solidarity, but even mainstream groups such as Friends of the Earth were barred from entering the conference centre this morning.
Activist Alexander Lassithiotakis said, "I hope that lots of NGOs are going to come out and join us because this summit is just letting Africa die. I hope it will be lovely, and big and lots of people will come to join us and show solidarity. But I'm a bit anxious too, I feel as if we could get arrested just walking down the road."
Another marcher, Mette Hermensen, 27, from Copenhagen, said: "Hopefully it will be a massive peaceful demonstration. I hope the excluded NGOs will participate, and show the people inside that this is a broad movement."
Unverified reports suggest three people have already been arrested this morning at Tårnby station folllowing yesterday's arrest by plain clothes policeman of high-profile activist Tadzio Mueller - a spokesman and organiser for today's event. The police are on high alert for today's protest, with officers out in large numbers with police dogs, rows of police vans along the side of the march route and police helicopters overhead. Officers are also stopping and searching people, including protestors taking part in the Reclaim Power event.
The activists have pledged to both congregate outside the centre and also attempt to breach the building. At a CJN meeting last night a spokesperson said: "There is definitely going to be an attempt to get in. We must not be intimidated by the police. We must be more numerous than they were expecting." The organisers are hoping their numbers will be swelled by NGO delegates who are having their accredited head-count reduced to make space for world leaders who are arriving with their entourages. Reports this morning suggest 300 people inside the centre, including NGO delegates and scientists, have come out to join the protest.
Lidy Nacpil of Jubilee South, one of the large social movements taking part in the march, said: "We hope to make people understand that there is great urgency here that the leaders do what they must, but that if they don't people will continue to struggle to change the system. Many of us have come to the conclusion that nothing will come from these talks. But the struggle will not stop here."
There is also growing criticism at the way Danish police have handled demonstrations in Copenhagen, including arrests of over a thousand people at the weekend and the use of tear gas in Christiana this week. At a meeting last night organised by a coalition that included the Danish socialist party Unity List and Danish NGO ATTAC there were calls for a demo to protest against the treatment of the demonstrators. While other Danish political parties have supported the policing, Unity List has been outspoken in its criticism.
[Environment > Copenhagen Climate change conference 2009]
Connie Hedegaard resigns as president of Copenhagen climate summit
Gordon Brown and Danish and Australian prime ministers discussed last-minute change overnight to 'ramp up' talks
Allegra Stratton and John Vidal in Copenhagen and agencies
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 16 December 2009 12.46 GMT Article history
The president of the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen, Connie Hedegaard, resigned this morning. She is to be replaced by the Danish premier.
"With so many heads of state and government having arrived it's appropriate that the prime minister of Denmark presides," Hedegaard told the 192-nation meeting. "However, the prime minister has appointed me as his special representative and I will thus continue to negotiate the ... outcome with my colleagues," she said.
Rumours circulating in the first week of the 14-day conference suggested that Hedegaard was unhappy with the contents of the so-called "Danish text" a secret negotiating text prepared by rich countries and leaked to the Guardian. It was rumoured that the prime minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, would take over to push through that text in the final stages of negotiations.
Hedegaard, who is the Danish climate and energy minister, said the move was merely procedural, and that it was more appropriate for Rasmussen to preside over the final stages of the talks when over 100 heads of state and government will be present. Separately, Hedegaard has been criticised by African nations for favouring rich nations in the negotiations.
"Approximately 115 heads of state and government have decided to participate in COP15 at summit level to close a deal in Copenhagen. This historical will to address the climate challenge is the strongest possible driver for a global agreement," said Rasmussen. "The final negotiations will be tense and strenuous. I have therefore asked minister Connie Hedegaard to continue to negotiate the Copenhagen outcome with her colleagues."
The developments followed a dramatic night during which ministerial negotiations carried on till 5am. US diplomats inserted brackets at numerous places in the negotiating text for the main strand of the negotiations that includes all countries - the long term action plan. This effectively blocked discussions on this negotiating track.
Some observers believe the US wanted to counter moves by developing countries to add their concerns to the text, effectively ensuring that discussions would have to be continued next year.
Another interpretation of the move was that it was a clever way to allow President Obama to come to the negotiations on Friday to "save the talks" by putting back in much of what had been removed.
"[Today's developments] shows that you cannot have a political statement coming out of the two draft texts that have been presented. Any new draft now will come from outside," said one diplomat. "All we can expect now is a bland political statement, and the possibility of the two draft texts going forward to be negotiated next year," said another.
A spokesperson for the British prime minister, Gordon Brown, said that Hedegaard stepping down was not a surprise and had always been planned. He confirmed that Brown, Rasmussen and the Australian prime minister, Kevin Rudd, had discussed the resignation during a three-hour meeting last night. The three had decided that Rasmussen taking over was the right thing to do to "ramp up" the urgency of the talks for the final three days.
A Department of Energy and Climate Change spokesman said: "This is a planned procedural handover to the Danish prime minister ahead at the start of the high level segment. Prime minister Rasmussen has been closely engaged in this process talking to fellow leaders over the past few months, and he will now be taking the negotiations through to the end game. Connie will remain as prime minister Rasmussen's special representative."
[Environment > Copenhagen Climate change conference 2009]
Danish police arrest 230 activists as world leaders arrive in Copenhagen
Security measures stepped up around city as thousands of demonstrators set off for mass invasion of Bella centre
Bibi van der Zee and Jonathan Watts in Copenhagen and Adam Vaughan
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 16 December 2009 10.08 GMT Article history
Danish police today arrested 230 people at various points around Copenhagen, where world leaders and officials are meeting for UN climate talks.
The news came as thousands of protesters set out in Copenhagen this morning in a bid to take over the conference centre where the talks are taking place. The organisers of the mass "Reclaim Power" march, the Climate Justice Action and Climate Justice Now! (CJN) networks of campaigners, said they hope to enter the Bella centre today, where NGOs and activist groups were struggling to gain entry this morning, to hold a "people's assembly" in protest at the direction the talks are taking.
In the bitter cold outside the Bella centre where the conference is being held, a group of around 60 people including indigenous groups, mainstream environment groups and journalist and activist Naomi Klein were protesting about NGOs being excluded from the conference centre. They had been met by police who warned that they may be arrested, although there has not been any violence. Klein said of the handling of the protests that, "Denmark is losing its reputation for being a good world citizen."
It is not yet clear what the 150 arrests this morning were for or whether they are part of the Reclaim Power event. Around 4,000 people have set off as part of a "blue bloc", one of several groups that are converging on the summit from different directions. The groups marching on the centre hope to be joined by more than a thousand delegates from inside the centre in a show of solidarity, but even mainstream groups such as Friends of the Earth were barred from entering the conference centre this morning.
Activist Alexander Lassithiotakis said, "I hope that lots of NGOs are going to come out and join us because this summit is just letting Africa die. I hope it will be lovely, and big and lots of people will come to join us and show solidarity. But I'm a bit anxious too, I feel as if we could get arrested just walking down the road."
Another marcher, Mette Hermensen, 27, from Copenhagen, said: "Hopefully it will be a massive peaceful demonstration. I hope the excluded NGOs will participate, and show the people inside that this is a broad movement."
Unverified reports suggest three people have already been arrested this morning at Tårnby station folllowing yesterday's arrest by plain clothes policeman of high-profile activist Tadzio Mueller - a spokesman and organiser for today's event. The police are on high alert for today's protest, with officers out in large numbers with police dogs, rows of police vans along the side of the march route and police helicopters overhead. Officers are also stopping and searching people, including protestors taking part in the Reclaim Power event.
The activists have pledged to both congregate outside the centre and also attempt to breach the building. At a CJN meeting last night a spokesperson said: "There is definitely going to be an attempt to get in. We must not be intimidated by the police. We must be more numerous than they were expecting." The organisers are hoping their numbers will be swelled by NGO delegates who are having their accredited head-count reduced to make space for world leaders who are arriving with their entourages. Reports this morning suggest 300 people inside the centre, including NGO delegates and scientists, have come out to join the protest.
Lidy Nacpil of Jubilee South, one of the large social movements taking part in the march, said: "We hope to make people understand that there is great urgency here that the leaders do what they must, but that if they don't people will continue to struggle to change the system. Many of us have come to the conclusion that nothing will come from these talks. But the struggle will not stop here."
There is also growing criticism at the way Danish police have handled demonstrations in Copenhagen, including arrests of over a thousand people at the weekend and the use of tear gas in Christiana this week. At a meeting last night organised by a coalition that included the Danish socialist party Unity List and Danish NGO ATTAC there were calls for a demo to protest against the treatment of the demonstrators. While other Danish political parties have supported the policing, Unity List has been outspoken in its criticism.
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