Coffee goes as climate talk draft appears

10 December 2011 - 15:14 By Sapa
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The latest draft document in the wrestling match over Earth's future climate appeared about noon (1000 GMT) Saturday, indicating that two weeks of talks were about to end.

Delegates and watchdog groups were wading through the 56-page text, trying to parse its meaning. Voting on a final document was not expected to begin for some hours.

"Outlines of a deal are now emerging, with more promise than this time yesterday," said Tim Gore of the environmental group Oxfam. "But with such a complex package under negotiation, many important questions remain to be answered."

The final scramble for agreement at the 17th annual UN climate talks forced participants like German Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen and the large Chinese delegation to try to rebook flights, as many of the 15,000 participants found flights already filled.

The ubiquitous coffee and cappuccino stands around the Albert Luthuli International Conference Center also started to close down and disappear, likely the best sign that two weeks of talks were about to end.

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