EU's Kallas says Israeli settlement plan breaches international law
Israel's far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, has announced that work would start on a long-delayed settlement that would divide the West Bank and cut it off from East Jerusalem.
"The decision of Israeli authorities to advance the E1 settlement plan further undermines the two-state solution while being a breach of international law," Kallas said in a statement. "The EU reiterates its call on Israel to halt settlement construction," she added.
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The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Plastic pollution talks fail as negotiators in Geneva reject draft treaties
Global talks to reach agreement on a treaty aimed at ending the growing scourge of plastic pollution have collapsed, with no deal agreed and no clear path forward. Countries worked beyond Thursday's deadline into the night and Friday morning, but remained deadlocked on the issue that has dogged talks since they were launched, amid fervent optimism, in 2022: whether to reduce exponential growth of plastic production and place global, legally binding controls on toxic chemicals used to make plastics. Several countries expressed bitter disappointment, sadness and anger that the Geneva talks had, after the sixth and final round of negotiations, failed to reach a deal. Despite the deadlock, they said they would carry on with a resumed session in the future. Some NGOs called the failed talks a 'blow to multilateralism', and there was reflection among some delegates on how best to move forward: for instance, without the participation of petrostates that had obstructed the talks. Agnès Pannier-Runacher, France's minister for ecological transition, said she was 'disappointed' and 'angry' that a handful of countries 'guided by short-term financial interests' had bloked the adoption of an ambitious treaty. France, the EU and more than 100 countries, from every continent, 'did everything possible' to obtain an agreement to reduce plastic production, to ban the most dangerous products and to protect human health, she said. Emma Hardy, the UK's head of delegation and marine minister, said: 'I'm hugely disappointed that an agreement wasn't reached, but am extremely proud of the way the UK worked tirelessly until the end to seek an ambitious and effective treaty.' Colombia's delegate, Sebastián Rodríguez, said: 'The negotiations were consistently blocked by a small number of states who simply don't want an agreement.' Tuvalu, speaking for 14 Pacific small island developing states, said: 'For our islands this means that without global cooperation and state action, millions of tonnes of plastic waste will continue to be dumped in our oceans, affecting our ecosystem, food security, livelihood and culture.' China's delegation said the fight against plastic pollution was a long marathon and the temporary setback represented a new starting point to forge consensus. It urged countries to work together to offer future generations a planet without plastic pollution. Luis Vayas Valdivieso, the chair of the negotiating committee, wrote and presented two drafts of treaty text based on the views expressed by the countries, but representatives from 184 countries rejected both as a basis for their negotiations. Saudi Arabia said both drafts lacked balance, and Saudi and Kuwaiti negotiators suggested the latest proposal, presented in the early hours of Friday, took other states' views more into account. It addressed plastic production, which they considered to be outside the scope of the treaty. The Friday draft did not include a limit on plastic production but recognised that current production and consumption levels were 'unsustainable' and global action was needed. There was little clarity on the way forward as delegates left the UN meeting on Friday morning. But there was acknowledgment that lessons needed to be learned and a new approach was needed. Jessika Roswall, the European commissioner for environment, said she saw the outcome of the talks as a good basis for a resumed session, but they must 'be honest and learn from the process that has brought us here today'. Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential after newsletter promotion Dennis Clare, of Micronesia, said: 'What might have collapsed is not so much the talks but the logic of continuing or concluding them in a forum with dedicated obstructionists.' While it was always difficult to negotiate shared goals in a multilateral forum with almost 200 countries, it was 'especially difficult if there is no meeting of the minds on what the goals are,' he said. Clare, who negotiated for Micronesia in the Montreal treaty to control ozone-depleting chemicals, a process that took eight years, said he had 'deja vu' from petrostates blocking principles back then. 'We need to consider how to approach this and whether to consider without [petrostates'] participation,' he said. 'Many ambitious countries also have great hope in China, a country that not only has a much more diverse economy than some of its petrostate allies, but also has a demonstrated interest in showing leadership to solve global problems. This is the beginning of the beginning of the world's attempt to address plastic pollution.' Christina Dixon, of the Environmental Investigation Agency, said the failure to reach a deal was a 'blow to multilateralism'. If talks resume they needed a 'new dynamic, a new chair and empowerment for delegates to utilise the right to vote … Its going to be really difficult to keep doing the same thing again and expect a different result – that's the definition of insanity.' Melissa Sky, a senior lawyer at the Center for International Environmental Law, said:'If countries hope to ever achieve a treaty that meaningfully addresses plastics pollution, they will either need to vote at the INC [Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee] or take the negotiation elsewhere' Valdivieso said the session had merely been adjourned rather than ended. Countries and the secretariat 'will be working to try to find a date and also a place' for resuming the talks, he told Agence France-Presse.
North Wales Chronicle
an hour ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Plastic pollution treaty talks in Geneva end without an agreement
Nations were meeting for an 11th day at the United Nations office in Geneva to try to complete a landmark treaty to end the plastic pollution crisis. They remain deadlocked over whether the treaty should reduce exponential growth of plastic production and put global, legally binding controls on toxic chemicals used to make plastics. The negotiations at the UN hub were supposed to be the last round and produce the first legally binding treaty on plastic pollution, including in the oceans. But just like at the meeting in South Korea last year, they are leaving without a treaty. Luis Vayas Valdivieso, the chairman of the negotiating committee, wrote and presented two drafts of treaty text in Geneva based on the views expressed by the nations. The representatives from 184 countries did not agree to use either one as the basis for their negotiations. Mr Valdivieso said on Friday morning as the delegates reconvened in the assembly hall that no further action is being proposed at this stage on the latest draft. After a three-hour meeting, he banged a gavel made of recycled plastic bottle tops from a Nairobi landfill. He said the session was adjourned, to be resumed at a later date. Representatives of Norway, Australia, Tuvalu and others nations said they were deeply disappointed to be leaving Geneva without a treaty. European commissioner Jessika Roswall said the European Union and its member states had higher expectations for this meeting and while the draft falls short on their demands, it is a good basis for another negotiating session. 'The Earth is not ours only. We are stewards for those who come after us. Let us fulfil that duty,' she said. Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, said despite challenges, despite the disappointment, 'we have to accept that significant progress was made'. This process will not stop, she said, but it is too soon to say how long it will take to get a treaty now. The Youth Plastic Action Network was the only organisation to speak at the closing meeting on Friday. Comments from observers were cut off at the request of the US and Kuwait after 24 hours of meetings and negotiating. The plastics industry also urged compromise. The Global Partners for Plastics Circularity said in a statement that governments must move past entrenched positions to finalise an agreement reflecting their shared priorities. Saudi Arabia said both drafts lacked balance, and Saudi and Kuwaiti negotiators said the latest proposal takes other states' views more into account and addressed plastic production, which they consider outside the scope of the treaty. That draft, released early on Friday, did not include a limit on plastic production, but recognised that current levels of production and consumption are 'unsustainable' and global action is needed. New language had been added to say these levels exceed current waste management capacities and are projected to increase further, 'thereby necessitating a co-ordinated global response to halt and reverse such trends'. The objective of the treaty was also revamped to state that the accord would be based on a comprehensive approach that addresses the full lifecycle of plastics. The biggest issue of the talks has been whether the treaty should impose caps on producing new plastic or focus instead on things such as better design, recycling and reuse. Powerful oil and gas-producing nations and the plastics industry oppose production limits. They want a treaty focused on better waste management and reuse. Every year, the world makes more than 400 million tons of new plastic, and that could grow by about 70% by 2040 without policy changes. About 100 countries want to limit production. Many have said it is also essential to address toxic chemicals used to make plastics. Thursday was the last scheduled day of negotiations, but work on the revised draft continued into Friday. Science shows what it will take to end pollution and protect human health, said Bethanie Carney Almroth, an ecotoxicology professor at Sweden's University of Gothenburg who coleads the Scientists' Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty. The science supports addressing the full lifecycle of plastics, beginning with extraction and production, and restricting some chemicals to ensure plastics are safer and more sustainable, she said. 'The science has not changed,' she said. 'It cannot be down negotiated.' Environmentalists, waste pickers and indigenous leaders and many business executives travelled to the talks to make their voices heard. Some used creative tactics, but are leaving disappointed. Indigenous leaders sought a treaty that recognises their rights and knowledge. For any proposal to make it into the treaty, every nation must agree. India, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Kuwait, Vietnam and others have said that consensus is vital to an effective treaty. Some countries want to change the process so decisions may be made by a vote if necessary. Graham Forbes, head of the Greenpeace delegation in Geneva, urged delegates in that direction. 'We are going in circles. We cannot continue to do the same thing and expect a different result,' he said as Friday's meeting was ending.
North Wales Chronicle
an hour ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Healey hopes Trump-Putin summit could be ‘first step' on road to peace
John Healey said the end to any conflict 'must come from diplomacy', before Friday's meeting between the two leaders in Alaska. European leaders are braced for the meeting and have expressed hope about the prospect of a potential ceasefire after a joint call with US president Mr Trump earlier this week. Mr Trump was seen boarding Air Force One to head to the summit around lunchtime UK time on Friday. He had earlier posted 'HIGH STAKES!!!' on his TruthSocial platform. Speaking to reporters on his way to the talks, he said there is a 'possibility' of the US offering security guarantees to Kyiv alongside European powers, but 'not in the form of Nato'. He said it will be up to the Ukrainians to decide whether to concede land to Mr Putin as part of a peace deal, but added: 'I think they'll make the proper decision.' Mr Trump said he is 'not here to negotiate for Ukraine', adding: 'I'm here to get them at a table.' Cabinet minister Mr Healey was asked what lessons from VJ Day – which is being commemorated on Friday – could be applied in the present day ahead of Mr Trump meeting the Russian leader. He told BBC Breakfast: 'The first lesson is that military and fighting solves nothing in the end, and that the end to war must come through talking, must come from diplomacy. 'So today in Alaska is what I hope, we all hope to see, a first step towards serious negotiations.' On Thursday, Mr Trump suggested European leaders could be invited to a second meeting if Friday's summit is successful. Speaking at the White House, he said: 'We have a meeting with President (Vladimir) Putin tomorrow, I think it's going to be a good meeting. 'But the more important meeting will be the second meeting that we're having. We're going to have a meeting with President Putin, (Ukrainian) President (Volodymyr) Zelensky, myself, and maybe we'll bring some of the European leaders along. Maybe not.' Mr Healey dismissed suggestions the UK's approach to the war is to 'watch and wait'. He told the BBC: 'The UK's role is to stand with Ukraine on the battlefield and in the negotiations, and prepare, as we have been, leading 30 other nations with military planning for a ceasefire and a secure peace through what we call the coalition of the willing. 'Our role is to lead the charge, as we have been, on more intensive diplomacy, to lead the charge on military aid to Ukraine so that we don't jeopardise the peace by forgetting about the current war, and being ready also to step-up economic pressure on Putin if he's not willing to take the talks seriously.' Sir Keir Starmer met with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday, and the pair expressed cautious optimism about the prospect of a truce 'as long as Putin takes action to prove he is serious' about ending the war, a Downing Street statement said. Concerns linger over the prospect of Kyiv being excluded from negotiations over its own future, and pressured to cede territory, after the US leader suggested any agreement may need to involve 'swapping of land'. Ukraine has already rejected any proposal that would compromise its borders.
