Update: outside the plenary with Jack Layton and Olivia Chow

I am sitting outside the Plenary Hall with Jack Layton and Olivia Chow.

The Danish PM has just introduced the text and asked the parties to review the Copenhagen Accord and to come back in one hour.

Tuvalu is not happy: "We work under the umbrella of the UN. Within the UN, we as nations are given respect large or small. We have processes to consider the matter collectively. This is called the conference of parties. This is disrespecting the UN process."

Jack Layton comments, "These guys do have a considerable stake, they're the first ones to go under water."

Tuvalu goes on: "Anything above 1.5 C spells the end of Tuvalu. Can I suggest in biblical terms, it looks like we are being offered 30 pieces of silver to betray our people and our future. Mr President: our future is not for sale. Tuvalu cannot accept this document."

Now Venezuela is not happy either. "We demand we should not suspend these talks. If we have to make a point of order by cutting our hands and drawing blood to convince you of our right to speak, we will."

Jack just came back with the new text, and unlike the version at the New York Times, the targets for countries listed in the Appendix are blank.

There are some important changes between the document that was left when Obama took off and the one that was just circulated to diplomats at the Plenary. The chart for rich countries' mitigation previously included: emissions reductions by 2020, status of the pledge and whether the pledge included land-related emissions. The new one just includes emissions reductions, base year, and the fields are all empty. 

The information for developing country mitigation lists "actions" in the new version rather than "targets."

Bolivia is unhappy as well about the methodology as they are being given a document they haven't had access to, and asked to come back and give their opinions on it in one hour. "We do not believe this is respectful. We are seeing actions in a dictatorial way. This is unacceptable."

Cuba too, predictably is unhappy. They just called Obama an Emperor. "I regret deeply the way in which you have conducted this conference. I can already tell you we will not accept this" Jack points out: "They get hit with the hurricanes, they know what the hot sea is like." 

US Jon Pershing is up next. No wait. Now Sudan is speaking. Sudan says Mr PM says I actually pushed the button when I saw Nicaragua. The Danish PM throws up his hands: "who wants to speak?"

Ok, here we have Nicaragua. They are trying to keep Kyoto alive. They are proposing a completely new agenda to suspenf Cop 15 and come back in June 2010. 

The gauntlet has been thrown down. No one adjourned the meeting, but everyone is milling about.

It looks like the hour break, and the US didn't get to speak, which is probably just as well.