Bali -- "What are we going to do about the United States?" It's a blunt question for a UN diplomat, but it's on the minds, the lips, and in some cases the T-shirts, of many of the thousands of delegates who recently gathered here for last preparatory meeting before the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) to be held in Johannesburg in late August.
The World Summit process, the follow up to the Rio Earth Summit of 1992, has been an embarrassment. That is largely due to the U.S. role, according to critics. As with the Rio Summit 10 years ago, the shadow over the conference is whether President George Bush will even attend.
Bush the Father did attend, after keeping the world in suspense, but then decided not to sign the Convention on Biodiversity. Bush the Son will no doubt follow suit and keep us wondering, but he has already ended some of the suspense by deciding not to sign the Kyoto Protocol, which is supposed to protect the climate.
Threat of U.S. veto has watered down a great deal of the negotiating text. The U.S. has "bracketed," that is to say objected to, all text relating to new financing for enviro-friendly projects in developing countries. Nor does the U.S. take kindly to dissent.
The World Summit process, the follow up to the Rio Earth Summit of 1992, has been an embarrassment. That is largely due to the U.S. role, according to critics. As with the Rio Summit 10 years ago, the shadow over the conference is whether President George Bush will even attend.
Bush the Father did attend, after keeping the world in suspense, but then decided not to sign the Convention on Biodiversity. Bush the Son will no doubt follow suit and keep us wondering, but he has already ended some of the suspense by deciding not to sign the Kyoto Protocol, which is supposed to protect the climate.
Threat of U.S. veto has watered down a great deal of the negotiating text. The U.S. has "bracketed," that is to say objected to, all text relating to new financing for enviro-friendly projects in developing countries. Nor does the U.S. take kindly to dissent.