German Environmental Affairs Minister Sigmar Gabriel expressed satisfaction Saturday at the outcome of the UN Climate Change Conference, reported dpa. "Much more was achieved than expected given the different interests at stake," the minister said in Bali, where he represented Germany at the talks. At the same time, the result that came out of the tough negotiations was less that Germany and the European Union had hoped for, he said. Gabriel said the important thing was that there was now a roadmap for a new climate treaty with "considerably stronger" commitments to climate protection from all industrial nations, including the United States. The UN conference was also a success inasmuch as it included developing nations in climate protection measures for the first time, he said. The talks ended on Saturday with an agreement on a framework for a two-year process of negotiations designed to set new targets for greenhouse gas emissions to replace those in the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.
