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- Israeli women mobilise against ultra-Orthodox military exemptions
- Asian markets track Wall St rally as US inflation eases rate worries
- Tens of thousands protest in Serbian capital over fatal train station accident
- Trump vows to 'stop transgender lunacy' as a top priority
- Daniels throws five TDs as Commanders down Eagles, Lions and Vikings win
- 'Who's next?': Misinformation and online threats after US CEO slaying
- Only 12 trucks delivered food, water in North Gaza Governorate since October: Oxfam
- Langers edge Tiger and son Charlie in PNC Championship playoff
- Explosive batsman Jacobs gets New Zealand call-up for Sri Lanka series
- Holders PSG edge through on penalties in French Cup
- Slovak PM Fico on surprise visit to Kremlin to talk gas deliveries
- Daniels throw five TDs as Commanders down Eagles
- Atalanta fight back to take top spot in Serie A, Roma hit five
- Mancini admits regrets over leaving Italy for Saudi Arabia
- Run machine Ayub shines as Pakistan sweep South Africa
- Slovak PM Fico on surprise visit to Kremlin
- Gaza rescuers say Israeli strikes kill 35
- 'Incredible' Liverpool must stay focused: Slot
- Maresca 'absolutely happy' as title-chasing Chelsea drop points in Everton draw
- Salah happy wherever career ends after inspiring Liverpool rout
- Three and easy as Dortmund move into Bundesliga top six
- Liverpool hit Spurs for six, Man Utd embarrassed by Bournemouth
- Netanyahu vows to act with 'force, determination' against Yemen's Huthis
- Mbappe back from 'bottom' as Real Madrid down Sevilla
- Ali hat-trick helps champions Ahly crush Belouizdad
- France kept on tenterhooks over new government
- Salah stars as rampant Liverpool hit Spurs for six
- Syria's new leader says all weapons to come under 'state control'
- 'Sonic 3' zips to top of N.America box office
- Rome's Trevi Fountain reopens to limited crowds
- Mbappe strikes as Real Madrid down Sevilla
- 'Nervous' Man Utd humiliated by Bournemouth
- Pope again condemns 'cruelty' of Israeli strikes on Gaza
- Lonely this Christmas: Vendee skippers in low-key celebrations on high seas
- Troubled Man Utd humiliated by Bournemouth
- 2 US pilots shot down over Red Sea in 'friendly fire' incident: military
- Man Utd embarrassed by Bournemouth, Chelsea held at Everton
- France awaits fourth government of the year
- Germany pledges security inquest into Christmas market attack
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- Syria's new leader vows not to negatively interfere in Lebanon
- Germany pledges security inquest after Christmas market attack
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- Understated Usyk seeks recognition among boxing legends
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Nations warn of deadlock at landmark plastic pollution talks
Diplomats warned Saturday that a majority of countries could walk away from talks on the world's first plastic pollution agreement if a handful of delegations continue resisting calls to compromise.
Nearly 200 countries are in South Korea's Busan for negotiations on a deal to curb plastic pollution.
But efforts to reach the landmark agreement are locked over several key sticking points, particularly reducing production and phasing out chemicals believed or known to harm human health.
Over 100 countries back those measures, and insist a treaty without them will fail to solve the pollution crisis.
But around a dozen nations -- mostly producers of plastic precursors derived from fossil fuels -- are strongly opposed.
As a result, just a day before talks are supposed to end, the draft text remains full of opposing views and contradictory language.
And frustration is growing.
"The overwhelming majority of delegates here demand an ambitious treaty," said Panama's delegation head Juan Carlos Monterrey Gomez.
"If the reduction of production is not there, there is no treaty."
"We cannot let a few loud voices derail the process," he added.
- 'Ready to walk away' -
A diplomat from the High Ambition Coalition, which groups dozens of countries seeking a strong deal, echoed that sentiment.
"We are a large group uniting around key effective elements, and getting ready to walk away," he told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door deliberations.
He warned that "some countries" were actively considering calling a vote, which would circumvent the UN's traditional approach of agreement by consensus and could "raise a lot of eyebrows."
It was a possibility being increasingly discussed as a "last resort," said the Democratic Republic of Congo's J.M. Bope Bope Lapwong.
"I think that if we can't reach an agreement, we'll be obliged to go to a vote. We cannot come all this way, all these kilometres, to fail," he told AFP.
"True, it's not the usual way at UN meetings, and we will do it to our shame -- because when you negotiate, you don't expect to win it all."
More than 90 percent of plastic is not recycled, while plastic production is expected to triple by 2060.
Environmental groups have pushed ambitious countries to move to a vote if progress stalls, arguing that countries like Saudi Arabia and Russia have not offered any compromises during talks.
Neither delegation responded to repeated requests by AFP for comment.
"A handful of governments... are looking backwards and refusing to take the steps necessary for us all to advance," said Greenpeace's Graham Forbes.
"I think we are at a very risky moment right now of being sold out, and that would be an absolute catastrophe."
But observers warned that calling a vote would be a risky strategy that could alienate even some countries in favour of a strong treaty.
Another option would be for the diplomat chairing the talks to simply gavel through an agreement over the objections of a handful of holdouts, they said.
But that too holds risks, potentially embittering the remaining diplomatic process and jeopardising adoption of a treaty down the road.
"We don't want to move outside the framework of the United Nations," said an official from the French environment ministry.
"We hope we will find agreement between now and tomorrow and that's the option that we're focused on," he added.
"A lot can happen in 24 hours."
H.E.Young--AMWN