Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel held a number of bilateral meetings ahead of the 62nd session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday. Speaking after talks with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi, Rupel said developing countries should not be subject to the same environmental standards as developed ones.
Rupel also said that China was aware of the problem of climate change and had announced it would limit carbon emissions. He underscored that problems could only be tackled at the global level.
Keeping that in mind, the EU is committed to the search for a new climate change agreement which is to replace the Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012. By 2020, the EU would like to reduce carbon emissions by at least 20% compared to 1990 levels, Rupel said.
As the foreign minister of the next EU presiding country Rupel took part in meetings of EU Troika, while he also met his Iranian, Iraqi, Algerian Bosnian and Cuban opposite numbers.
The meeting with Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque came at the request of Cuba with a view to Slovenia's spell as EU president in the first half of 2008. Hence the discussion revolved around the 2008 EU-Latin America and the Caribbean summit.
Rupel was confident the two nations would cooperate successfully at the meeting in Lima, which is to discuss ways to eradicate poverty, enhance social cohesion and combat climate change.
The meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Motaki focused on the contentious Iranian nuclear programme, with Rupel voicing hope for Iran to respect UN Security Council Resolutions and "take certain steps towards meeting the demands of the International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors".
Rupel also met his Iraqi counterpart Hoshyar Zebari, whom he assured further support in his country's efforts to build democracy and develop economy. He also offered Slovenia's assistance through various projects of the Together Foundation, which deals with posttraumatic stress disorder in children, and the training of Iraqi security forces. He also offered help of the Slovenian-run Centre for European Perspectives and underscored the role of the EU mission in Iraq, EUJUST LEX, which provides assistance in the establishing of the rule of law and human rights standards.
Economic cooperation and intercultural dialogue, one of the priorities of Slovenia's presidency, were at the forefront of talks with Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci.
The issues affecting the Western Balkans meanwhile dominated Rupel's meeting with Bosnian counterpart Sven Alkalaj. Rupel urged the countries in the region to show responsibility and put up the necessary effort to make progress towards the EU.
Slovenia is willing to help Bosnia-Herzegovina in its aspirations to join the EU and NATO, while the country must make progress in reforming the police forces itself, Rupel said.
In a meeting with Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Rupel said he was happy with the opening of an Indian embassy in Ljubljana, while the pair also discussed joint activities in the UN General Assembly and cooperation within the International International Centre for Promotion of Enterprises.
New Delhi will host the EU-India summit in late November, which is to focus on cooperation in energy and climate change, science, technology, transport and infrastructure.
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