BASIC Environment Ministers’ Conference

Environment ministers of India, China, Brazil and South Africa (BASIC) group of developing countries met in Durban (South Africa) on 1 November. They sought to bridge their differences and strike a common position ahead of this month’s climate change conference in Durban. The conference has drawn attention amid reports of differences within the influential block of emerging countries.
BASIC environment ministers called on the West to ensure the extension of the Kyoto Protocol as well as step up financial and technological assistance to developing countries.
Joint Statement
In their joint statement, they said “the bloc should achieve a comprehensive, fair and balanced outcome” and “clearly establish the second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol,” which the statement described as “the cornerstone of the climate regime” and “the essential priority” for the summit’s success.
South Africa has been seen as coming under particular pressure to strike a balance between the BASIC group’s position and the West under its additional responsibility as host of the summit and acting president of the Conference of Parties.
Quantified Emissions Reduction Objectives
However, South Africa’s lead climate negotiator, Alf Wills, sought to draw a line over reports that his country was moving away from the essential BASIC position that developing countries, unlike developed Annex-1 countries, would not accept legally binding emission reduction commitments.
Wills said: “There has always been this misunderstanding that South Africa is advocating that developing countries take on these quantified emissions reduction objectives. That is untrue. We have always held the position that we will meet our legal obligation to take mitigation actions consistent with our respective common but differentiated responsibilities and our respective capabilities.”
He added: “South Africa shared the view of the BASIC group that “the current Kyoto Protocol system, which elaborates those specific legal obligations that developed countries have in a multilateral rules-based system…provides the benchmark and cornerstone for any future climate change regime or system.”
Pressure From West
Although South Africa did not appear to voice any disagreement with the BASIC position during meetings, officials expressed the concern that once negotiations started in earnest in Durban, the country might face particular pressure as the host nation to dilute its stance. There is a fear that there will be attempts by the West to divide the BASIC group.
BASIC nations – and China in particular – have come under increasing pressure from the West to agree to a road map on undertaking legally binding emission reduction targets. The European Union (EU) has said it preferred “a single global and comprehensive legally binding instrument,” although it was open, in the interim, to a second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol on the condition that large emitters agree on a road map.
BASIC environment ministers also identified financing as “one of the pressing priorities” at the Durban conference, calling on developed countries to fulfill their commitment of providing US$ 30 billion as fast-start funding.
As far as India is concerned, Minister of Environment and Forests Jayanthi Natarajan said that New Delhi was “completely committed to the stand of BASIC countries.”
Debt Crisis and Recession
The West had to come through with funding regardless of the current financial turmoil sweeping across Europe. It is painfully conscious of its problems.
BASIC environment ministers also urged developed countries to honor a commitment to provide $100 billion per year by 2020, officials accepted that was increasingly unlikely following the debt crisis and the recession, and emerging countries would perhaps have to settle for “millions and not billions.”
Xie Zhenhua, China’s top climate official, did not rule out the possibility of bridging differences with the West despite EU insistence on developing countries taking on greater commitments.
In a multilateral mechanism, a solution is something that everyone can accept even if no one is satisfied. For this, each individual must make a compromise, but the basis of the compromise is to stick to commitments and conventions agreed to in Copenhagen and Cancun.

11th Commonwealth Summit

The three-day Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) concluded in Perth (Australia) on 30 October. The meeting did well to highlight the issues related to security and hunger as these affect a vast section of humanity.
Eliminating Terrorism
The 11th CHOGM collectively pledged to fight terrorism by preventing the use of their territories for terrorist acts or financing and also vowed to accelerate efforts to combat piracy and strengthening maritime security in the Indian Ocean.
The 54-nation bloc, in its joint communiqué, committed to "unequivocally preventing the use of their territories for the support, incitement to violence or commission of terrorist acts".
They also agreed to work towards implementing the necessary legal framework for the suppression of terrorist financing, and preventing the raising and use of funds by terrorists, their front organizations, and transnational terrorist organizations.
Terrorism continues to pose a major threat despite billions of rupees having been spent on eliminating the scourge. The CHOGM communiqué rightly expressed its commitment to prevent the use of its territory by any nation for promoting terrorism. It also called for suppressing funding sources for acts of terror.
How it goes about forcing certain countries like Pakistan to stop using terrorism for their geopolitical objectives remains to be seen. Terrorists may be down but they are not out. They continue to claim lives in Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere. India’s maintenance of its tight vigil has paid dividends.
Economic Issue
On economic front, the CHOGM communiqué noted the “impasse” in the Doha round and urged the trade ministers’ World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting in December to make “substantive progress” as well as make a formal “anti-protectionist pledge”.
The leaders at the Perth Meeting also agreed to reduce the cost of remittance transfers by removing barriers to remitting and encouraging greater competition in the transfer market, by endorsing the World Bank’s General Principles for International Remittance Services.
International Security Problem
As regards the international security issue, piracy was another issue that figured prominently in the communiqué as the group maintained their commitment to a stable and secure national and international environment.
In addition to accelerating efforts to combat piracy and to strengthen maritime security, including through enhancing the capacity of coastal states, the communiqué also urged the international community to recognize that the menace of piracy in the Indian Ocean cannot be effectively tackled in the absence of political stability and security in Somalia.
The leaders at the meeting expressed the view that the international community must ensure stability in the poverty-stricken African nation. Poverty drove most Somalians to take to piracy. Thus, the cause of eliminating poverty wherever it exists, too, must get precedence along with the need for providing stability. They affirmed support to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention and its Seventh Review Conference in December 2011 and pledged to continue tackling the root causes of conflict, including through the promotion of democracy, development and strong legitimate institutions.
The Perth Summit also agreed to combat people smuggling and human trafficking by clamping down on illicit criminal organizations and bringing the perpetrators of these crimes to justice, while protecting and supporting the victims of trafficking.
Grouping Reforms
The 11th CHOGM indirectly sent out the message that the grouping of 54 former British colonies would not allow any kind of discrimination on the basis of one’s sex. The call for reforms by the Eminent Persons’ Group (EPG) led by former Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi needs to be given a serious thought.
The leaders at the Perth meeting agreed to adopt one third of the 106 recommendations of an eminent persons group to make the grouping more relevant in current times, but virtually rejected the proposal for a human rights commissioner. Faced with a tough task of ushering in reforms, leaders of the 54-nation bloc had asked their foreign ministers to work overnight on recommedations of the 11-member EPG, which had gone public with its criticism.
Climate Change
With many of the Commonwealth nations being low-lying islands, the Perth meeting agreed on a slew of measures to promote action on climate change, including a push to find better ways to fund mitigation and adaptation projects.
Maldives President Mohammed Nasheed said a number of the EPG recommendations touched upon the issue of climate change and all have been accepted by the CHOGM leaders.
The issue of climate change is not of the future. It is happening now and we must deal with it now
India's Development Agenda
India returns with a feeling of satisfaction from the CHOGM, having managed to keep the 54-nation grouping focused on the development agenda.
Dismissing the general perception that the meeting was a failure because it did not accept the reform agenda set by some countries, Vice President Hamid Ansari, who headed the Indian delegation at CHOGM, said the Commonwealth has been an organization that has evolved slowly and could not be pushed into “instant” action. “We reiterated our perspective on institutions - that we needed to strengthen existing institutions rather than create new ones,” Ansari said in a clear reference to the effort by some developed nations to push through the creation of a Commissioner for Human Rights. The contentious recommendation was contained in a report by an EPG comprising civil society members, and some member-nations had sought to link its acceptance to the success of CHOGM 2011.
Some of the EPG recommendations have been accepted, others have been kept aside for further discussions, with officials indicating that the opposition to them was so widespread that they were unlikely to be adopted.
In fact, dispelling the perception that only some countries - including India, Sri Lanka and South Africa – were against the creation of the Commissioner’s office, an Indian official said that more than 30 of the 54 Commonwealth nations were opposed to the move.
Kamalesh Sharma Reappointed Chief
Seventy-year-old seasoned Indian diplomat Kamalesh Sharma was reappointed secretary general of the 54-nation Commonwealth grouping for a four-year term beginning April 2012.
India proposed Sharma’s name for a second term to the coveted post at the concluding session of the 21st Commonwealth heads of government meeting here. Pakistan seconded it. The proposal was accepted unanimously by everybody.
Sri Lanka would host its next Commonwealth Summit in 2013.

Thaksin Gauges International, Domestic Resentment

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has kept a low profile after the Phuea Thai Party won the general election to avoid creating any barrier on Yinglak Shinawatra's path toward the prime minister post and the formation of the Phuea Thai-led coalition government. Nevertheless, Thaksin could not avoid causing troubles to his sister and her government.
Lately, Ms Yinglak and the government, particularly Foreign Minister Suraphong Towichakchaikun who is facing questions from the public about his qualification and the reasons he was nominated to this position, have to handle a hot potato right after assuming their offices. It is related to Thaksin's request to travel to Japan. The Japanese Government has allowed Thaksin to enter Japan and also announced that the Thai government has asked the Japanese Government to give permission to Thaksin's entry.
Thai Government's Stance
Recently, Yinglak said that the Japanese Government has asked Suraphong about the Thai Government's stance on Thaksin's entry into Japan. She said Suraphong has informed the Japanese Government that the Thai Government had no policy to prohibit his entry. The Japanese Government could freely decide to or not to allow Thaksin's entry.
It was unveiled later that Thaksin has requested for a visa to enter Japan after receiving an invitation from a private company there. The Japanese Government was reluctant to intervene. It does not want to spoil its ties with the Yinglak administration as well. They then consulted the Thai Foreign Ministry. Suraphong consequently replied that it had no policy to prohibit Thaksin from entering Japan. Eventually, the Japanese Government has granted Thaksin the permission to enter Japan.
Nevertheless, Yinglak government was consequently questioned by the public why the government did not ask the Japanese Government to bar Thaksin, who is a fugitive, from entering its country. Instead, it has given a green light to the Japanese government to allow his entry. People also questioned why the Thai Government did not ask its Japanese counterpart to extradite Thaksin back to Thailand.
This case is, therefore, a hot potato for the Yinglak government from its first day in office. We believe that Thaksin will continue to trouble the Yinglak government as long as Thaksin is still a fugitive.
Consequences of Japan’s Visit
Has Thaksin anticipated that his entry into Japan would cause any trouble to his sister's government? Certainly, he must have foreseen that it would become an issue. However, Thaksin still traveled to Japan. He might want to test certain political consequences of his visit.
First, he might want to find out how the international community would respond to the fact that he has led the Phuea Thai Party to win the recent general election and to successfully push for the appointment of his sister as the prime minister on behalf of him.
He opted to try the stance of Japan, which is a powerful country first. It would certainly be the precedence for other countries. Thaksin would then be able to use Japan's decision to pave the way for his convenient entries into other countries.
Certainly, from now on, Thaksin would travel to more important destinations around the world to show the world community that he has already got back his liberty to travel around, as well as implying that he is the one with tru e influence over the Thai government.
Second, Thaksin wanted certain groups in the Thai public to protest against his trips to build up political pressure against his opponents. He is forcing them to make decision whether they wanted him to remain a fugitive after he has already sent out reconciliatory signs. He did not hand any cabinet seat to any red-shirt leader. He has not selected any Class 10 alumna at the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School to be the defense minister.
He should receive some reconciliatory signs in return, particularly the signs related to legal cases that have been barriers of his normal living.
At the same time, Thaksin needs to assess the level of resentment against him in Thailand.
He might be satisfied with the outcome. Nobody paid attention to his visit to Japan apart from the opposition Democrat Party that has been adamant to bring down the Yinglak administration and Foreign Minister Suraphong, and the media that have done their job of reporting the issue.
Hostile Moves Against Thaksin
It seems several parties that were once Thaksin's opponents have already lower their guards. They might have come up with such reaction due to reconciliatory stance of Thaksin himself or other reasons.
At present, the Democrat Party is the only one that has not stopped its hostile moves against Thaksin and left no room for the development of reconciliatory atmosphere.
In fact, at this moment, the Democrat Party should ignore some issue and take a wait and see position, instead of trying to trigger conflicting sentiment for political purposes.
Has the Democrat Party's defeat in the general election lent any lesson to the party at all? Has it got any idea why the party has lost? Isn't it because the party has concentrated on its fight in political games and political issues that the public has been tired of?