President Yudhoyono conducts lobbying to prevent deadlock

SBY PRESIDENCY. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono held various meetings and conducted lobbying to prevent a possible deadlock in the climate change summit in Copehagen on Thursday.

His spokesman, Dino Patti Djalal, said to newsmen President Yudhoyono after delivering his speech at a summit session in the afternoon held meetings with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of Australia, President Felipe Calderon of Mexico and UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon.

"His speech just now drew much response. He did not hesitate to be different," he said.

He said President Yudhoyono met with the prime minister of Norway yesterday and with Prime Minister Abhisit Vejajjiva of Thailand at 3.35pm local time. President Yudhoyono also sent foreign minister Marty Natalegawa to meet with the leader from Sudan which is the chairman of the Group 77 to bridge differences for making a compromise, he said.

He said President Yudhoyono and UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon agreed to seek a concensus.

"The UN Secretary General said the mistrust was big and so the situation at the meeting room was no longer good. There will be a lot of lobbying, compromises, new compromises and so on until perhaps December 19 and if necessary it (the meeting) will be extended. Now it is uncertain," he said.

Dino said the key is in the hands of the US and China to prevent a deadlock.
He said President Yudhoyono`s speech however had given an inspiration and drew a positive response from a number of parties considering it useful as an alternative to encourage a concensus.

In his speech President Yudhoyono called for a more ambitious target of around 40 percent in emission reduction by developed countries.

He also said that US$10 million had been available for emission reduction programs but ideally it should be higher than that.

"Hopefully the president`s speech would be able to change the trend," he said.(ANTARA News)