Arab League (AL) Secretary General Amr Moussa on Wednesday urged the Arab countries to act in earnest in the face of climate change as the region is one of the most affected regions.

Speaking at inauguration of the 19th session of the council of Arab environment ministers held at the Cairo-based AL headquarters, Moussa called for good Arab preparation at the ongoing UN Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia.

The AL chief referred to a conflict of interests between industrial and developing countries, indicating that preindustrial nations may be used to pass certain bills.

He added that Arab countries should be interest-driven when dealing with such approaches.

During the session of Arab environment ministers on ecosystem and development, Egyptian Minister of State for the Environment Magid Ghattas noted that climate change was behind the marked soil deterioration which consequently affected development.

He called for a new environment-friendly approach to achieve sustainable development through Arab coordination as the Arab region suffers the most from desertification and levels of water scarcity in the Arab world is among the highest worldwide.

For his part, Tunisian minister of environment Nadhir Hamada called on Arab countries to take effective joint efforts to ensure a better future as their responsibility has doubled.

The Arab environment ministers meeting also tackled on Arab- international cooperation with China, Japan, India and Latin American countries, which is believed to help establish an Arab foreign policy in the field of environment.

The UN Climate Change Conference kicked off on Monday in Bali and will last until Dec. 14. Representatives from over 180 countries are engaged into marathon discussions for an international climate change regime.
 
(Xinhua News Agency December 6, 2007)