At a marathon all-night session at the Copenhagen climate talks, a small group of developing countries, including Sudan, Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia and Nicaragua, had strongly objected to the agreement sewed up.
Much of the complaints were about the lack of transparency in the process, by allowing a small group of countries to negotiate the accord. “It looks like the G-22 is usurping the role of the G-192,” said the Nicaraguan negotiator.
However, others had strong objections about the contents of the deal itself, accusing richer nations of using a monetary incentive to force a dilution of ambition. “It looks like we are being offered 30 pieces of silver to betray our people and sell our future,” said Tuvau’s chief negotiator Ian Fry.
On Saturday evening, U.S. President Barack Obama met with the heads of the emerging powers — Prime Minister Manmohan, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and South African President Jacob Zuma — to craft the accord.
This was then taken to a larger group called the “friends of the Chair,” with 25 heads of state representing all the major regions and interests. While the European and island state delegates opposed the lack of ambition in the deal, they finally agreed to accept it rather than let the talks collapse completely.
