Development talks falter

Preparations for the World Summit on Sustainable Development later this summer are in disarray. Pre-summit negotiations last week in Bali failed to break the deadlock between rich and poor nations over how to reconcile the conflicting goals of promoting global trade, cutting poverty and protecting the environment. “We came to Bali to seek concrete agreement, with timetables and targets that could save human lives and eradicate poverty. We have not achieved that,” said Spanish environment minister Jaume Matas. The summit, billed as the largest ever intergovernmental gathering, will take place in Johannesburg in August.