Annan Visits Roots of Mankind, Summit Deadlocked Sun Sep 1, 2002 - 4:23 AM ET - By Matt Daily [Full Text] JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and South African President Thabo Mbeki will explore the roots of mankind on Sunday, leaving officials back at the Earth Summit to bicker over how to save humanity from itself. The two leaders will visit South Africa's famed Sterkfontein Caves, a World Heritage site just north of Johannesburg known as the cradle of humankind, where ape-man fossils up to 3.5 million years old have been unearthed. The trip will be the first in Annan's four-day visit to the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg where more than 100 world leaders hope to agree a sweeping United Nations plan to reduce poverty without poisoning the planet.
Environment ministers hit a serious snag in the small hours, delegates said, in overnight talks aimed at reconciling poor nations' demands for fairer trade and more aid with rich countries seeking less corruption and more democracy in return. However, there was progress on a number of topics and new discussions after sunrise appeared to be getting things back on track, one European negotiating source said. "We had a problem during the night when things seemed to be going backwards," the source told Reuters. "But as of now it looks like we might be solving this." The key issue involved trade and aid finance. Problems at the summit have ranged from "green" energy and farm subsidies to sewers in the Third World. Ministers have one more day to clinch a deal before their leaders arrive on Monday. "Now we're down to the crunch questions," Nitin Desai, conference secretary general, told Reuters late on Saturday.
States agreed a compromise early on Sunday on protecting endangered animals and plants, calling for a significant reduction in the rate of extinction by 2010. That agreement was weaker than a biodiversity pact set earlier this year under which countries said they would halt the rate of biodiversity loss. "It's watered down," said European Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstrom, but was pushed through by what she called "the unholy alliance" of the United States and developing countries. Green groups were angered by what they saw as a rollback of the pact to save the 10,000 plant and animal species the United Nations has said were at risk. "These same ministers said six months ago they would halt the rate of loss. This is stunning," said Greenpeace's Remi Parmentier.
DEFIANT MUGABE Among the first foreign leaders to arrive was Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, in a defiant mood about his policy of taking land from white farmers and giving it to landless blacks. South Africa's Mbeki was also in strident form, telling a rally in a Johannesburg slum that the summit must put an end to the "global apartheid" which has left millions mired in poverty. "There is no reason that the poor of the world should be poor for ever," he said in a speech at a stadium in the squalid Alexandra township. "The time has come for action."
With a flood of foreign dignitaries due to descend on the wealthy suburb of Sandton where the conference is being held on Sunday, the police remained on red alert. However they were relieved the first major protest march passed without incident. For all the firebrand slogans such as "Osama bin Laden! Bomb Sandton" eight hours of rallies ended peacefully, delighting the hosts of South Africa's biggest international event since the end of its apartheid-era isolation. [End]