曼谷：负责主持谈判的外交官周四（10月1日）告诉法新社，各国在谈判一项旨在限制塑料污染的首个全球性条约时，分歧比以往小，协议有望在3月达成。
BANGKOK: Countries negotiating a world-first treaty to limit plastic pollution are less divided than before and a deal could be agreed in March, the diplomat chairing the talks told AFP on Thursday (Oct 1).
智利大使胡利奥·科尔达诺今年早些时候接任该职位，此前他的前任辞职，而谈判已超出原定时间表一年多。
Chilean ambassador Julio Cordano took over the role earlier this year after his predecessor resigned, and with the talks having overrun their initial schedule by more than a year.
但在曼谷与各代表团团长举行非正式闭门会谈后，科尔达诺表示，他希望能在下一轮正式谈判中敲定协议。
But speaking in Bangkok after informal closed-door talks with heads of delegations, Cordano said he was hopeful a deal could be clinched at the next official round of negotiations.
他说：“我的计划和预期是，如果我们遵循正确步骤、取得持续进展、并完成我提出的路线图，我们将能够在第5.4届政府间谈判委员会会议（3月会议）上通过该条约。”应对塑料污染的条约工作始于2022年，原定两年完成。
"My plan and my expectation is that we will be able to adopt the treaty in INC 5.4 (March meeting), if we follow the correct steps, if we make consistent progress, and if we complete the roadmap that I presented," he said. Work on a treaty to address plastic pollution began in 2022 with a two-year timeline.
但2024年在韩国举行的关键谈判破裂，次年在日内瓦重启的努力也未取得进展。
But crunch talks in South Korea in 2024 fell apart, and a renewed effort in Geneva the following year made no progress either.
大多数国家呼吁采取雄心勃勃、具有法律约束力的措施遏制塑料生产，预计到2060年塑料产量将增加两倍。
A majority of nations have called for ambitious, legally binding measures to curb production of plastic, which is expected to triple by 2060.
但以产油国为主的较小集团——包括沙特阿拉伯、科威特和俄罗斯——反对此类限制，主张更狭隘地聚焦于废物管理。
But a smaller bloc of mostly oil-producing states - including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Russia - have pushed back against such restrictions, seeking to focus more narrowly on waste management.
在曼谷谈判前，科尔达诺发布了一份“谈判辅助文件”——一份可能条约的非约束性大纲，最具争议的部分用括号标出。
Ahead of the Bangkok talks, Cordano released an "aid to negotiations" - a non-binding outline of a possible treaty, with brackets around the most contentious sections.
这些主要是导致前几轮谈判失败的同些问题，包括限制塑料产量、提及人类健康、以及指定有问题的塑料产品或关注化学物质。但科尔达诺坚称，各国立场并非看起来那么遥远。
These are mostly the same issues that sank previous rounds, including a cap on plastic production, mention of human health, and designating problematic plastic products or chemicals of concern. But Cordano insisted countries were not as far apart as they might seem.
他说：“我认为你们听到成员国在这些议题上的表态会感到惊讶。我认为他们的立场比单纯的二元对立、不可调和的立场要接近得多。”
"I think you would be surprised to hear members on these topics. I think they are much more closer than simply binary positions that are irreconcilable," he said.
消息人士告诉法新社，一些国家越来越支持一份提供选项的文件，雄心更大的国家可选择限制生产或某些产品，而其他国家则不必如此。
PRAGMATISM Sources told AFP some countries are increasingly supportive of a document that would offer options, with more ambitious countries choosing to limit production or certain products, while others do not.
科达诺表示，“不同路径或不同起点”的理念“植根于我们的授权之中”。他还呼吁务实，并聚焦于达成条约这一最终目标。
Cordano said the idea of "different pathways or different departure points" was "embedded in our mandate". He also called for pragmatism and a focus on the end goal of a treaty.
“实现这一目标不止一条路径，我认为成员国们正在意识到这一点。” 然而，仍有严重分歧待解，包括通过条约及未来修正条约的机制。
"There's more than one way to achieve that, and I think members are realising that." There are still serious disputes to resolve, however, including mechanisms for adopting a treaty and amending it in the future.
一些国家希望所有决定均以共识方式作出，反对者称这赋予了少数派阻挠进程的权力。
Some countries want all decisions to be made by consensus, which opponents say allows a small minority to block progress.
科达诺表示，其目标依然是达成“一份人人接受的条约”，但他也承认，若以共识为规则，会引发对协议未来执行力的担忧。
Cordano said his goal remained a "treaty that will be accepted by everyone", but he acknowledged concerns about future application of a deal if consensus is the rule.
他说：“关键在于我们如何共同理解，并设计出一套机制，让该条约未来能够有效运行，不致因缺乏共识而停滞、冻结。”
It is "about how can we collectively understand and come up with a system that would allow this treaty in the future to be effective, not to be stopped, not to be frozen because there is no consensus", he said.
这位外交官预计将于下月发布新的“谈判辅助文件”，随后于1月进行最后一轮非正式磋商。他说：“大家都认识到这是一个需要解决的问题。”“我认为各方正在达成共识……我认为这是乐观的理由。”
The diplomat expects to release a new "aid to negotiations next month, before a last round of informal talks in January. "Everybody sees that this is a problem that requires a solution," he said. "I think people are seeing eye-to-eye ... I think this is a reason to be optimistic."