UN chief urges countries to stop playing "blame game"

With negotiators struggling to break their deadlock at the global climate talks in Copenhagen, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon is urging countries to stop playing the "blame game."

He and the summit's Danish hosts, are stressing compromise to salvage an agreement aimed at averting dangerous climate change.

Ban Ki-Moon, UN Secretary-General, said, "I'm afraid negotiations have been too slow. If they want to leave all these issues to the leaders, it may be very difficult for them to agree in just one or two days. And we must leave this conference in Copenhagen with a strong, and robust, and substantive outcome. That is their political and moral imperative. I told this morning that it is time to stop pointing fingers, it is time to start looking in the mirror, and start offering the member states could do. Now is the time for common sense, compromise, and courage. These common sense, compromise, and courage should prevail during coming three days meeting."

Organizers of the talks, say environment ministers have been working deep into night to narrow the wide range of differences. They add that the majority of the work must be completed by the negotiating teams before Thursday.

COPENHAGEN, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday called for a "fair, ambitious and comprehensive" deal on combating global warming at the Copenhagen climate talks and expected a legally binding treaty to be in place "as early as possible in 2010."

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addresses the opening ceremony of the high-level segment of UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, capital of Denmark, Dec.15, 2009.(Xinhua/Wu Wei)