2015-12-11 11:42:00

COP21 overruns amid disputes


(Vatican Radio) Efforts to craft a global accord to combat climate change stumbled early on Friday after a "hard night" of talks, forcing host nation France to extend the U.N summit by a day.

After revealing a new draft treaty that removed some main points of contention last night, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said a final text would now be presented to nearly 200 nations for review only on Saturday.

While annual UN climate meetings almost always run into overtime, the abrupt announcement came as some officials and observers also said that early-morning discussions had not run as smoothly as hoped.

As at the outset two weeks ago, some nations remain at odds over issues such as how to balance actions by rich and poor to limit greenhouse gases, and also the long-term goals of any agreement to limit emissions that are warming the earth.

"Major countries have entrenched behind their red lines instead of advancing on compromise," said Matthieu Orphelin, a spokesman for the Nicolas Hulot Foundation.








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