Copenhagen -- On behalf of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ali Alnaimi led the Saudi delegation to the Fifteenth Session of the Conference of the Parties to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and Fifth Session of the Conference of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol.
The minister delivered the kingdom's speech at the ministerial meetings which began on Wednesday in the city of Copenhagen, Denmark.
The minister said any resolution taken at the climate summit in Copenhagen should fully be based on the principles of the current framework convention on climate change and fair distribution of burdens among countries and should not adopt individual measures that discriminate against a specific commodity and affect the balance of international trade.
The minister added that energy is key to the economic development of all countries and thus the agreement should result in positive effects on world energy markets.
The Minister of Petroleum and Mineral cautioned against the adoption of concealed and biased protectionist trade policies against various kinds of fossil fuels especially oil products.
He stressed the importance of prompting the use of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology in all countries and called for including it in the projects of the clean development or any other similar mechanisms.
The minister highlighted Saudi efforts to support negotiations to reach an agreement on climate change and protect the environment through promotion of the use of technological energy alternatives and adoption of laws to cut emissions.
The minister called for increased foreign investment in Saudi Arabia and technology transfer saying they are basic means to alleviate the possible negative effects of climate change confrontation policies on oil countries.
© Saudi Press Agency 2009
