Sharp differences have cropped up between representatives of participant countries in the four-day "International Conference for Ozone" held in the Marsa Alam city in Red Sea governorate. Delegates including experts and scientists representing 160 countries were locked at loggerheads in the preparatory session yesterday. The session has tackled plans to fight the climate change phenomenon that threatens countries overlooking seas with drowning, particularly these with Delta areas like Egypt. Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif had apologized for not opening the conference today and asked Minister of Environment Maged George to address the conference on his behalf.
The participants were at odds over several issues, foremost of which is the incorporation of materials threatening the Ozone in the Montreal Protocol as banned substances that must be discarded. They also disagreed on how to deal with the stock of these materials.