the start of negotiations blocked by a political showdown

“We are missing what brings us here, which is plastic pollution.” The 175 countries gathered in Paris to draw up the first outlines of a treaty against plastic pollution had failed to begin negotiations on the substance of the subject on Tuesday, May 30, due to a blockage on the rules of adoption. text endings.

Saudi Arabia and several Gulf countries, as well as Russia, China, India and even Brazil, refuse that the future treaty be approved by a two-thirds majority vote if no consensus is found. Facing them, a majority of countries defend the vote as a last resort. They consider, at the very least, that this question can be decided later. The discussion, which began in plenary on Monday afternoon, again occupied all delegations all day Tuesday.

Plenary was adjourned in the early evening. An informal group was tasked with continuing the exchanges, with the mandate to find a way out allowing the start of negotiations on Wednesday morning. “We are missing what brings us here, namely plastic pollution”Camila Zepeda of the Mexican delegation thundered Tuesday morning. “We waste time and energy in discussions that go around in circles (…) Let’s get to the essentials”claimed Camila Zepeda, of the Mexican delegation. “It is the right of member states to make suggestions” And “we are not in favor of the erroneous definition of the consensus of certain States”replied a diplomat from Iran, a country also opposed.