Statement on Climate Change Negotiations Yoriko Kawaguchi Minister of State, Director-General of Environment Agency Minister in Charge of Global Environmental Problems
December 19, 2000
Immediately after the Hague meeting, I, with Ministers from the Umbrella Group and the European Union, started a dialogue to explore the possibility of early agreement as was requested by Minister Pronk, the President of COP6, at the end of the meeting in The Hague. The Ottawa meeting of senior officials on December 6 and 7 was one of such efforts along this line. Japan has been participating in this dialogue with as much flexibility as it has been able to show.
We repeated teleconferences at the ministerial level after the Ottawa meeting. Ministers from the Umbrella Group and the European Union agreed that the time is not yet ripe for a UG/EU ministerial meeting and that more time is necessary to seek an agreement. It is regrettable that an agreement will not have been achieved by the end of this year. However, we shared the view that political leadership is essential for resolving outstanding issues and unanimously decided to make use of every bilateral and multilateral occasion to continue our dialogue with each other to this end.
Our common goal is to make the Kyoto Protocol ratifiable and then have it enter into force by the year 2002. It is crucial to keep the momentum we have built toward our goal. I believe that Minister Pronk, as COP6 President, will continue to exercise his strong leadership to this end. In The Hague, ministers from the Umbrella Group and the EU almost reached agreement on a package of some key issues early in the morning of 25 November. Japan looks forward to continuing discussion on that basis.
Japan is determined to continue its intensive dialogue with other Parties with flexibility, and spare no effort to reach agreement on a package at resumed negotiations. Japan strongly urges other Parties to do likewise.
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