Expectations run high in Copenhagen, core discussions underway

COPENHAGEN, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Government ministers were arriving here over the weekend to work for consensus on two draft texts after a week of discussions at the U.N. climate change talks amid expectations that negotiators from over 190 countries would seal a deal to fight climate change.

Yvo de Boer, the top U.N. climate change official, had laid out three layers of action that governments must agree to in Copenhagen: fast and effective implementation of immediate action on climate change; ambitious commitments to cut and limit emissions, including start-up funding and a long-term funding commitment; and a long-term shared vision on a low-emissions future for all.

BINDING DEAL EXPECTED

As discussions began a week ago, delegates specified their goals for the U.N. climate change conference. An overwhelming majority of the countries want a legally binding treaty to be signed at the end of the conference. De Boer said the treaty should include targets on mitigation, adaptation, financial support, technology transfer, forest protection and capacity building.

"Copenhagen will only be a success if it delivers significant and immediate action that begins the day the conference ends," de Boer told the opening plenary session of the conference.

Swedish Environment Minister Andreas Carlgren, whose country holds the current presidency of the European Union, said countries should reach a "legally binding deal" that includes all the basic elements of the Kyoto Protocol.

U.S. negotiators, however, want something else. The United States, which has rejected the Kyoto Protocol, expected a political agreement instead of a binding deal at the Copenhagen talks, they said. Todd Stern, U.S. special envoy for climate change, said the United States will not become part of the Kyoto Protocol. "That's not on the table."

Sudanese diplomat Ibrahim Mirghani Ibrahim, speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, said the Copenhagen conference should not only produce a political agreement, but also set clear targets for emissions reduction and financial support by developed nations.