Colin Powell's Barracking Reveals Delegates' Fury and Frustration

Yesterday's barracking of Colin Powell by delegates and activists at the Earth Summit was unprecedented.

In almost 30 years of covering international conferences I cannot remember any reception that came close – no matter how notorious the speaker.

Even Margaret Beckett, Britain's chief negotiator, said it showed how "angry" delegates were with America. She added: "I understand how delegates feel", before going on to condemn the "abuse".

But it was more than just anger. It was the release of fury and frustration that has been building up throughout the summit. Indeed it has been brewing ever since President George Bush set out to destroy the Kyoto Protocol on global warming, shortly after attaining power. [read more]