Meles Zenawi and Museveni in Addis Ababa at the climate change meet. Left is AU Chairman

By Vision Reporter

PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni and other African leaders yesterday agreed to ask for compensation from the rich industrialised nations during the climate change talks to be held in Copenhagen at the end of the year.

The decision was taken yesterday at the meeting of the African Union (AU) committee of 10 nations charged with agreeing a common position to present to the Climate Change summit.

The committee held a meeting at the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia which was attended, among others, by President Museveni, Ethiopian premier Meles Zenawi and Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki.

The UN summit in Denmark will try to agree on how to counter climate change and come up with a treaty protocol to curb emissions.

According to a statement issued from State House, the meeting “prioritised the need to make sure that global warming does not go beyond two degrees centigrade and that compensation be made for the damage caused by the developed countries to prospects of growth in Africa and the poor nations.”

Reuters, quoting an official at the talks, said Africa will seek billions in compensation from industrialised nations during the Copenhagen meeting.
Meles declined to state a specific figure of compensation, but said that “there are many calculations including up to the $100 billion (a year) mark that has been set by some experts. We will be very flexible.”

Addressing a press conference at the end of the meeting, Meles said other priority areas identified include making sure that green house emissions that destroy the ozone layer, thereby causing global warming, be controlled and drastically reduced by the year 2020.

“This is the key area for Africa because without mitigation there is no possibility for adaptation,” Meles said. He said the issue of adaptation or compensation is being handled and institutional mechanisms of delivery of the funds had been identified as well as its quality and quantity.

Meles told journalists that Africa is also prepared to engage the international community in order to reach a binding political agreement.