Africa is ready for the climate talks at the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP17), which is scheduled for November 28-December 9 in Durban, South Africa, according to Rhoda Peace Tumusiime, AU commissioner for rural economy and agriculture.

In an exclusive interview with Xinhua on Saturday, Rhoda said preparations have been made on Africa's side for the climate negotiations in South Africa.

"The assembly of the heads of state and governments directed that the AUC, especially the department of rural economy and agriculture, should support the heads of states committee which is responsible for environment and climate change."

"The department should support the African negotiators as far as putting in together a common position, and work with the ministers responsible for climate change in moving the agenda," she said.

Rhoda also said the African Union (AU) has set up a pavilion in South Africa, with which it is going to undertake different activities and initiatives on climate change.

"In this pavilion we shall have a number of activities, many engagement initiatives of the continent as far as climate change is concerned. We shall have high level thematic discussions related to climate change on the continent, also we shall showcase different aspects of climate change challenges on the continent.

"So I believe the preparatory work is more or less ready and we are working very closely with the different structures of the AU," she added.

"COP17 is very important initiative negotiations which have been going on over the last 17 years, and that is why it is called COP17," she told Xinhua.

"In 1997 the Kyoto protocol was adopted in Bali in Indonesia. It put in place a series of actions. So these actions have been negotiated in the last 17 years and now the expectations in South Africa is to look at the Kyoto protocol's direction, it is supposed to end with South Africa," said the commissioner.

"As you know climate change is a result of the global warming .. .contributed greatly by the developed world. So, we hope that in South Africa, we will forward as far as the Kyoto protocol discussions are concerned, will be reached if it is not concluded as it is difficult at least we shall find a legal process for moving it ahead. So, we have more negotiations.

"Also in South Africa we hope to see a lot of discussions and agreements on other issues as well, for example in discussions right from Cancun, right from Copenhagen.

"There was issue of finance which we have agreed to, so in South Africa we want this one to be discussed, concluded. There were also agreement reached related to technology and resources. So, these are some of the issues we look at in Durban," she said.

The commissioner also stated that the Committee of African Heads of State responsible for climate change has held a meeting on the process of preparation to the conference in South Africa.

"Two days ago the committee of heads of state responsible for climate change met in Addis Ababa at the Headquarters of the AU. The most important aspect of this was to get a briefing from the negotiators from the ministers on the process of negotiations, on the process of preparations on how prepared is Africa to participate in the negotiations in South Africa," said the commissioner.

Rhoda said southern partners like India, China and Brazil matter a lot for Africa in the area of climate talks and negotiations.

The commissioner also said Africa wants its cooperation with the southern partners in trade and investment maintained in same spirit in the area of climate change negotiations.

"The South-South cooperation is important. In this area India, China, and Brazil, they matter a lot for us.

"We work with them in arriving at what we want and what is good for Africa," she said.

"We see a lot of hope, for example China will support our common position; India will also support our common position and this is very important for us.

"There is a lot of cooperation taking place between China and Africa. China is investing in Africa; China is trading with Africa. So, as we go to Durban, we want to see that cooperation is also maintained in the same spirit," said Rhoda.

(Xinhua News Agency November 26, 2011)