Netanyahu. To speak in Denmark?
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Netanyahu wary of encounter with Ahmadinejad in Copenhagen
Prime minister undecided on whether to take part in UN climate conference in Denmark due to Iranian president's participation, high cost of hotel rooms
Will Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
take part in the United Nations Climate Change Conference, which is scheduled to open in Copenhagen this week? While dozens of leaders from across the world plan to take part in the event at the Danish capital, Netanyahu is still undecided, due to the participation of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The Prime Minister's Office has been preparing for the possibility of having Netanyahu leave for Denmark on December 16 for two days, due to the importance he sees in finding alternatives for oil. According to the original plan, the prime minister was to deliver an important speech at the conference, which will also be attended by US President Barack Obama.
The prime minister is considering, however, arriving at the conference next weekend, but refraining from being in the same room with the person he refers to as "the bitter enemy".
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During the preparations in Jerusalem, however, state officials learned that the Iranian president was also expected to take part in the conference on the same days as Netanyahu – Wednesday to Friday. The prime minister told his assistants that "the bitter enemy's presence puts the planned trip in question."
Another reason for the indecision at the Prime Minister's Office is the high costs of hotels in the Danish capital during the conference, which is expected to draw global attention. In addition, the hotels will not reserve rooms for less than a week, although some of the rooms will have to be booked for a week as part of the prime minister's entourage and security officers will have to arrive several days before Netanyahu in order to prepare the visit.
As the total cost may be double than requires, and ion the backdrop of the criticism against Defense Minister Ehud Barak's trip to the Paris Air Show, the Prime Minister's Office is not rushing to reserve rooms under these conditions.
The conference will open on December 7 and end on December 18. During the event, representatives from 191 countries will attempt to form a global agreement for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, which according to scientists contribute to global warming. The agreement is meant to take effect in 2013, when the current agreement – the Kyoto Protocol from 1997 – expires.
