The latest UN Conference Report by Eagle Forum Correspondent Cathie Adams in Buenos Aires, Argentina. 1998 Delegates representing 161 countries gathered in Buenos Aires for the UN Conference on Climate Change don't have much to show for their first week's efforts.
Negotiations are slow because certain nations are adept at abusing the process for their own gain.
They're also slow because the UN system is complicated and their meetings are closed to most observers. That body elected Argentinean Maria Julia Alsogaray as president on the opening day of the conference. Her comments, of course, assume global warming and its effects are proven scientifically, that mans' activities could cause global warming and that the UN system is the cure. In all, the purpose of the Plenary was simply to cajole those doing the negotiations. Negotiations take place in the subsidiary bodies.