Rio+20 summit kicks off under a cloud of criticism

* Global leaders gather to discuss vague text
* Even delegations that backed draft text unhappy
* Demonstrations continue across Rio de Janeiro

By Paulo Prada and Valerie Volcovici
RIO DE JANEIRO, June 20 (Reuters) - Brazilian President
Dilma Rousseff welcomed world leaders to a rainy Rio de Janeiro
on Wednesday under a cloud of criticism that a three-day summit
is falling far short of its promise to establish clear goals for
sustainable development.
Before the official start of the event, known as Rio+20
because of the landmark Earth Summit in the city two decades
ago, Brazil convinced visiting delegations to finalize a draft
declaration for their leaders. But many delegations and summit
organizers - as well as outraged environmentalists and activist
groups - are lambasting the document as weak.
"Let me be frank: Our efforts have not lived up to the
measure of the challenge," said Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations
secretary general in opening remarks. "Nature does not wait," he
added later. "Nature does not negotiate with human beings."
The draft document, finalized on Tuesday, laid out
aspirations, rather than mandatory goals, on issues like food
security, water, and energy. It also called for countries to
pursue so-called "sustainable development goals," a vague set of
U.N. objectives built around the environment, economic growth,
and social inclusion.
Many of those who agreed upon the draft, however, say it was
stripped of vital specifics. "I was disappointed that we did not
go further," said Nick Clegg, Britain's deputy prime minister,
in prepared comments on Wednesday.

Expectations have long been low for the gathering, which is
expected to include nearly 100 heads of state and government by
the time it concludes on Friday. Many leaders at present are
more focused on the global economic slowdown and the debt crisis
in Europe.
Despite the presence of the president of France and the
Russian and Chinese prime ministers, several other high-profile
leaders are missing, including U.S. President Barack Obama and
Germany's Angela Merkel.
Compared with the original Earth Summit, which led to
historic decisions on biodiversity and greenhouse gas emissions,
organizers say this summit is only the beginning of a new
goal-setting process for global development. The 1992 event,
they point out, was the culmination of years of prior
negotiations.

BRAZIL LOOKS TO SHOWCASE RIO
Rio authorities, gearing up to host the World Cup and
Olympics later this decade, have been working to put a friendly
face on the gathering. The city's famous Christ the Redeemer
statue is illuminated green, its glow shining nightly on epic
traffic jams and motorcades below.
Demonstrators, meantime, have made their displeasure known.
Outside the summit, a gargantuan series of warehouse-like
conference halls in the strip mall-filled suburbs of southern
Rio, environmental activists, political parties, and others
marched through steady drizzle and called for bold action.
Earlier this week, bare-breasted feminists marched through
the city center and Amazonian tribesmen, d onning war paint and
arrows, descended upon Brazil's national development bank, which
is financing dams and other controversial infrastructure
projects in the Amazon rainforest.
Diplomats said Brazil's push for a draft document had
opposing outcomes. While it forced delegations to focus and come
to an agreement, it may have prematurely shut the door on bolder
action by leaders when they arrive.
That, they added, leaves little leeway for the draft to
improve before a final pronouncement on Friday. "Everybody has
things that they have given up in the document in one way or the
other," said Todd Stern, U.S. special envoy on climate change.
"This is the thread that once you start pulling on it, it
unravels quickly."

(Additional reporting by Nina Chestney; Editing by Todd Benson
and Doina Chiacu)