Word: session
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...into overtime when diplomats emerged from behind closed doors at 2 AM Saturday morning, claiming that a compromise deal between the EU, the U.S. and the major developing nations had been reached. Delegates from some 190 nations reconvened several hours later for what should have been a final approval session...
...China unexpectedly objected to aspects of the text, including the degree of technical assistance poor nations would receive from the rich for low-carbon development. The impasse - the latest in several tortured days of negotiations - led Rachlat Witolear, the chair of the conference, to twice suspend the open session for further behind the scenes meetings, leading to a real fear that diplomats might leave the island without a final agreement...
...With that, Ban left the chamber to a standing ovation. Witolear reopened talks, and a representative from China turned to speak. His anger audible, he asked why the UN secretariat overseeing the meeting had earlier restarted the session while negotiators were still meeting away from the conference hall - essentially accusing the officials of acting unfairly towards the developing nations. For Yvo de Boer, the executive secretary of the United Nations Framework on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the summit's guide, it was too much. Visibly exhausted by all-night negotiations, the Dutchman appeared to momentarily break down and fled...
...Hajj's murder came two days after a parliamentary session to elect a new President was postponed for the eighth time, and is certain to aggravate tensions between rival pro- and anti-Syrian factions. The bombing, said Information Minister Ghazi Aridi, "is a message to the Lebanese that the situation in Lebanon will remain fragile and that security will remain a target...
...Addressing the Parliament in Strasbourg last month, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said France would never give up the monthly sessions in the city. This is despite the growing number of complaints from the E.U.'s 785 Parliament members and 4,000 staff who decamp at the cost of 12 million euros for each session. But here, as with the summit, national prestige continues to hold the upper hand over cost and climate concerns...