Tony Blair, Prime Minister of Britain: "The biggest responsibility falls on the countries with the biggest emmissions'

Helmut Kohl, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, 'Global environment protection and sustainable development need a clearly audible voice at the UN... this could lead to a creation of a global umbrella organisation.'

Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, Prime Minister of Denmark: "We must ensure that poor countries do not become markets for outdated technology or recipients of hazardous waste.'

Benjamin William Mkapa, President of United Republic of Tanzania: "The disastrous decline in ODA has, therefore, eroded the capacity of the developing countries, and slowed down the speed at which they would have liked to implement the Rio agreements and action plan.'

Mostafa Kamal Tolba , chairperson of CSD: "There is really no advance on finance and the US has regressed. But the Britain is very positive though Tony Blair was careful not to mention a date for increasing its spending on ODA'.

Bill Clinton, the US president: "We must create new technologies and develop new strategies like emissions trading that will both curtail pollution and support continued economic growth.'

Saifuddin Soz , Indian minister of environment and forests: "The major issue .... is the disappointing lack of fulfillment of international commitments voluntarily entered into in Agenda 21, by industrialised countries, to assist developing countries.'

Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, President of the Republic of Maldives: "At the Earth Summit, I stated that I represented a people endangered by the threat of sea level rise. I left Rio confident that we had an agreed agenda that would save not only us but the whole world. But, today I leave here with the fear that unless we all act now with a renewed commitment, my country and many like it would neither have a voice nor a seat at a future Rio+.'