Provides an historical perspective to the issues at the 10th Anniversary Meeting of the signing of the Montreal Protocol and the 'Ninth Meeting of the Parties'. Explores some of the characteristics of previous Meetings of the Parties and examines the factors that make the Ninth Meeting interesting and the outcome difficult to predict. Points out that two of the most powerful players, the European Union and the United States will enter the September negotiations with diametrically opposing positions regarding HCFCs and significant differences on methyl bromide controls.