In Brief

* When the Kyoto Protocol goes into effect, it must be determined whether developing nations will be obligated to join in emissions abatement efforts, especially if their growth continues at rapid rates - and avoid repeating the mistakes made by industrialised countries, say Mexican representatives.

* ''As a matter of principle,'' developing countries cannot accept mandatory emissions limits, said Jose Miguez, executive secretary of Brazil's Inter-Ministerial Commission on Climate Change. ''It is unacceptable, it is an offence,'' considering the United States is responsible for 25 percent of the world's emissions, added Ruben Born, head of the Brazilian non-governmental organisation Vitae Civilis.

* According to the Argentine government, such limits can only be imposed on developing countries if financial resources and the necessary technology are available to implement the reduction measures.

* Chile believes the Clean Development Mechanism must at a minimum include rules stipulating that there is no single list of abatement projects, that emissions reduction and absorption certifications are transferable, that unilateral and multilateral forms of financing are considered, and above all, that industrialised nations understand the CDM as merely supplementary in nature, and that their primary commitment is to cut emissions on the domestic front, say Chilean officials.

* For Costa Rica, carbon trading and joint implementation projects should not be subject to any quantitative limits. This would allow industrialised countries to comply as a bloc with emissions reduction targets.

* Peru's negotiators believe it is especially important to discuss the Kyoto Protocol in its policing aspects: How would it obligate nations to comply with commitments? How would offending countries be held accountable?

* Source: Inter Press Service.