Climate summit host Egypt renews invite to King Charles / Photo: © POOL/AFP
Climate summit host Egypt renews invite to King Charles
Egypt on Tuesday renewed its invitation to King Charles III for next month's COP27 climate summit after the British monarch's plans to attend were reportedly quashed by ex-Prime Minister Liz Truss.
"From our point of view in relation to his majesty King Charles, it’s an open invitation," senior diplomat Mohamed Nasr said ahead of the 12-day UN meet in Sharm El-Sheik, which starts on November 6.
"He has been a very strong advocate for climate action and a role model," Nasr told journalists in an online briefing. "We still hope that he can make it."
Nasr also said that, so far, more than 90 heads of state and government had confirmed they will attend the summit, which is tasked with accelerating cuts in carbon emissions and providing climate finance for developing countries.
In early October, Buckingham Palace confirmed that Charles III would not go to COP27 after news reports saying Truss had raised objections to his participation.
But Truss stepped down as prime minister after only 44 days in office, replaced by fellow Conservative Rishi Sunak.
Britain hosted last year's watershed COP26 UN climate conference in Glasgow, which saw initiatives to curb deforestation and methane emissions, but left poor nations seeking financial support deeply frustrated.
Nasr said he hoped Sunak and other rich nation leaders would carry through on their promises in Glasgow.
"We know there are economic challenges facing the UK and other countries, but we hope those challenges do not lead to backsliding on pledges made and not delivered," he said.
Apparently neither US President Joe Biden nor China's top leader Xi Jinping have confirmed they will come to COP27.
"We hope they will be there because the two countries are leading on climate change and their cooperation and role has always been instrumental for progress," he said.
US media have reported that Biden plans to attend.
Charles III took the throne after the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II, who addressed the COP26 summit last year with the blessing of the Tory government led by Truss's predecessor Boris Johnson.
Charles and his son William also addressed the event.
Charles III is a committed environmentalist, with a long history of campaigning for better conservation, organic farming and tackling climate change.
(Y.Rousseau--LPdF)
