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32 Envtl. Pol'y & L. 1 (2002)

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   This year we are reporting earlier than usual on the annual session of the United Nations Gen-
eral Assembly (seepage 2). We have done this on the basis of the reports and discussions in Commit-
tee and have not waited to include the final resolutions.
   In Plenary, one point was of particular interest: the US administration has announced its readi-
ness to accede to the Law of the Sea Convention (see also page 4). Even though we heard on the
following morning, that some members of the Senate were less than pleased.



   The UN Secretary-General has appointed Joke Waller-Hunter as Executive Secretary of the UN
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to succeed Michael Zammit Cutajar who
has retired. She was Head of the Environment Directorate at the OECD and before that Director of
the UN Division for Sustainable Development. On her departure from New York, I told her that I was
very sorry she was leaving but I was happy that she had taken the Paris post. She replied exactly my
thinking. I could now repeat this sentiment, particularly in view of the added advantage that she is
now near to us in Bonn!
   We report on page 14 on the Seventh Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC.
 You will see that there were mixed reactions to the results achieved, but a set of binding decisions
 relating to the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol were agreed.



   One of the many questions surrounding the collapse of the Enron Corporation, is the extent to
which the company was able to influence the Bush administration's energy policy. Rumours have
persisted that the Corporation, a major contributor to the Republican Party, influenced the energy
plan, which eases environmental rules, opens public land to drilling and provides tax incentives to
energy companies for exploration. Enron executives have acknowledged that they met five times last
year with Vice-President Dick Cheney or members of his staff about energy. However, the Secretary
has said he will not reveal to Congress's General Accounting Office the contacts between his energy
task force and Enron, as part of the investigation into any influence the Corporation had in formu-
lating the administration's energy policy. He now expects to have to fight the release of such docu-
ments in Court. It will be interesting to follow developments in this policy.



   We mourn the loss of Elisabeth Mann-Borgese. We shall return to this in the next issue.


                                                       SIT            14 February 2002

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