Climate change talks resume in Bonn

Multilateral negotiations on climate change formally resumed this morning in Bonn following an agreement last night to begin work on resolving outstanding issues before the ministerial meeting on the United Nations climate change treaty begins on Thursday.

Dutch Environment Minister Jan Pronk, who is the President of this session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, said he hoped that as many outstanding issues as possible would be resolved before the Ministers meet.

"We are here to negotiate," Mr. Pronk said. "It is crucial that we bring our four years of work to completion. The public is waiting to see results."

The conference President announced that, over the next few days four negotiating working groups would deal with the issues of finance and technology, flexibility mechanisms, land use and forestry, and procedures and mechanisms relating to compliance. The negotiations will be based on the report of the first part of the Conference, and on a consolidated negotiating text prepared by the President.