News] Summit a 'dialogue of the deaf'

 Chavez is disappointed with outcome of summit
© AFP     4/9/02 3:52 PM
by Ben Maclennan and Richard Davies, Sapa


The UN World Summit on Sustainable Development seems to have been
a "dialogue of the deaf", Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said during the
closing session of the ten-day meeting on Wednesday.

"I think we didn't live up to expectations," he said in a no-holds barred
speech after the adoption of the summit's final declaration.

"I think we have to push much further forward in the years to come," said
Chavez, who was speaking on behalf of the G77 group of developing nations,
as well as China.

He said leaders should have come together to debate at the highest level
the issues that are important to the people of the world.

"There is no debate, there's no dialogue. It seems to be a dialogue of the
deaf. It seems that we just come to read out a speech, to fulfil a task
that has been imposed on us."

For the sake of the 17 people who die of hunger every minute, there is a
need to radically transform the format of UN summits.

"We have to debate things. We have to come to take decisions."

He was applauded several times during his speech and received sustained
applause at the end.

Chavez said he was making these points in a self-critical way because he
too is a head of state.

"Heads of state, heads of government, all of us are obliged in future to
assume with greater depth the challenge of seeking a new path for the
world."

They have to ensure the voice of the people is heard much more.

"Sometimes heads of state go from summit to summit, but our people go from
abyss to abyss. I had much greater expectations of this summit."

He said it would have been wonderful if the summit had set targets and had
not been so "generic" about issues vital to humanity.

"We've set out some generalities which perhaps some might see as retrograde
from progress made at previous summits," he said.

He said heads of state and governments had participated in a round-table
discussion on Tuesday and had debated and put forward ideas. But it is
illogical that their debate, their conclusions have no impact on the
outcome of the summit, he said.

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