| Namibia
Dr. Sam Nujoma, President of the Republic of Namibia:
" It is incompatible with sustainable development
to expect compliance from the developing countries
with unfair environmental standards. We must reduce
and close the widening gap between the rich and
poor countries through fair trade and investment.
Multilateral trade rules can only enhance sustainable
development when they are influenced by all countries."
European
Commission
Romano Prodi, President of the European
Commission:
" A year ago terrorists destroyed lives
and flung down great symbols of our civilization.
But they did not dent our values or weaken
our determination to defend them and
keep them alive. Nor did they shake our
faith in multilateral cooperation. Multilateral
cooperation has made remarkable progress
in recent years: the Doha Conference
on Trade and the Monterrey Conference
on Development Financing were undeniable
successes, and the Global Health Fund
we have launched to fight against transmissible
diseases is operational. Here at Johannesburg
we must set our sights higher. We must
make more progress in reducing poverty
and halting the destruction of our environment.
We should act all together because it
is the only way."
France
Jacques Chirac, President of the French
Republic:
" It is time to open our eyes. Alarms are
sounding across all the continents. Europe
is beset by natural disasters and health
crises. The American economy, with its
often ravenous appetite for natural resources,
seems to be hit by a crisis of confidence
in the way it is managed. Latin America
is again shaken by a financial, and held
social crisis. In Asia, rising pollution
evidenced by the brown cloud is spreading
and threatening to poison an entire continent.
Africa is plagued by conflicts, AIDS,
desertification and famine. Some island
countries are seeing their very existence
threatened by climate warming. We cannot
say that we did not know! Let us make
sure that the 21st century does not become,
for future generations, the century of
humanity's crime against life itself."
Germany
Federal
Chancellor Gerhard Schröder
of Germany:
" The global increase in extreme weather
conditions shows very clearly that climate
change is no longer a skeptical forecast-but
bitter reality. This challenge demands
decisive action. What is at stake is
the natural sources of life, our children's
future. This conference should therefore
call upon the states to ratify the Kyoto
Protocol as quickly as possible so that
it can enter into force before the end
of this year. And I appeal to those industrial
countries that are not acceding to the
protocol at least to make an equal contribution
toward reducing greenhouse gases."
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