"Do not compromise on the principles that are important. Our ministers should make sure that this does not happen. The Group of 77 should not concede any of its principles." South African Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

Ministers to the Rescue

By Thalif Deen

In a last-ditch attempt to save the Johannesburg summit, delegates have now turned to the 190 environment and development ministers to resolve a rash of seemingly irresolvable disputes, including those relating to globalisation, human rights, biodiversity, good governance, farm subsidies and market access.

At a meeting of the 133-member Group of 77 -- the largest single political group at the summit -- Third World diplomats said they were pinning their hopes on the host country South Africa to navigate the difficult negotiation process in the next two days.

South African Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma was quoted as telling delegates: "Do not compromise on the principles that are important. Our ministers should make sure that this does not happen. The Group of 77 should not concede any of its principles. Let's keep things moving."

The Group, which is chaired by Venezuela, also agreed to sustain their unity and not cave in to Western pressure.

"I urge you all to reinforce the position of the Group, but if you disagree bring it to my attention and show no weakness or disagreement. Otherwise, it will be death to our Group," a senior Venezuelan minister told delegates.

But one delegate told Terra Viva: "The crucial question is: how much time is left for our ministers to deal with all the outstanding issues."

The summit is scheduled to conclude Wednesday and there are no plans to go beyond the set deadline. The next two days are expected to be hectic: the only way to break the deadlock would be a series of compromises on both sides resulting in a watered down draft plan of action.

One delegate was more forthright: "When my president arrives, I cannot tell him that we are still deadlocked and the ministers have not acted."

So far, most of the discussions have continued in what is called the "Vienna process" where all the major groups have participated.

The technical discussions are expected to continue in the Vienna process while ministers will focus on political aspects. "We expect the ministers to give political guidance to the Vienna process," one G-77 delegate told Terra Viva.

Claude Martin of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) International is hopeful and confident that the high-level ministerial meeting "can reverse the trends that we are seeing here".

But so far, he says, "negotiations have fallen dramatically short of the kinds of commitments that would ensure a sustainable future for our planet and the people who live on it."

The heads of state and ministers are the only ones who can overrule the bureaucrats who have been labouring over the last seven days. And only enlightened political leadership can save the summit, he added.

Gerd Leipold of Greenpeace says that only the leaders of Germany, Britain and France can save the summit.

"The future of the summit rests on the shoulders of Schroeder, Blair and Chirac. It will require a Herculean effort on their part but it must be done here and now at this summit," he added.