Thursday 17 December 2009

Pacific Voices @ COP 15: Prime Minister of Vanuatu, Edward Natapei

Geoffrey Smith, Fiji TV, Climate Pasifika
Copenhagen, 16 December - Vanuatu Prime Minister Edward Natapei anticipates that come Friday, COP15 might just surprise even its biggest sceptics.

Vanuatu has one of the fastest growing populations in the Pacific of around 3.6 percent against a total land area of not more than 12,274 square kilometers on which just over 210,000 people are scattered across Vanuatu's 2 volcanic islands.

PM Natapei says while the momentum is now well and truly building as leaders step up to the mark, he knows for the Pacific, compromising could be tantamount to displacement.




Transcript
We came in with specific ideas and we were hoping to come away with a legally binding agreement and it seems to be the subject of negotiations.

So we are going to have to continue to negotiate up until the very last minute.

If we can be successful in securing some sort of understanding and agreement with the big powers by the end of the day it all depends on how things unfold over the next day or so.









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