India tones down opposition: Draft text a good starting point

“We believe that it (the AWG-LCA draft text) is a good starting point for negotiations,” Ramesh said,and later added that it was a “valid document” for negotiations.

The slight moderation in India’s stand on the LCA text is an indication that some progress had been achieved at the ministerial meetings that happened over the weekend. The ministers of 50 countries met on Saturday for three-and-half hours to discuss the LCA draft and the meeting continued for another six hours today.

The LCA draft had been proposed by the chairman of the working group,Michael Zammit Cutajar of Malta,on Thursday in the first official bid to work out an agreed text at the end of the conference. It was also aimed at putting an end to a plethora of other drafts that had been floated by individual countries or groups.

The same day the chairperson of the other working group,AWG-KP,whose mandate is to decide the emission reduction targets for the rich countries for a period beyond 2012 when the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol comes to an end,also put out a draft.

The drafts were initially viewed as a positive development but later criticized by India,the United States and the European Union for various reasons.

Ramesh,however,indicated that the objections of every country could be resolved amicably. This is in line with what the Danish Minister for Energy and Climate Connie Hedegaard,who is presiding over the conference,had also said on Saturday. Hedegaard had said that the LCA draft had received positive response in the ministerial meetings and she was hopeful that objections of every country would be resolved to mutual agreement.

Ramesh said the process of finalizing the draft agreement to be adopted at the end of the conference needed to be completed latest by the December 15 before the Heads of States start arriving in the Danish capital from the next day.

“When the Heads of States come here,the draft agreement should be ready. There cannot be any negotiations after that. It is not the job of the Prime Ministers and Presidents to negotiate agreements,” he said.

Ramesh said India was completely against the proposal put forward by Australia that the Heads of States should decide on the final text. He also pointed out serious differences amongst the rich countries and said if the Copenhagen conference was unable to come up with a deal then these countries should be blamed for it.

“The EU and Japan want the United States to take deep emission cuts. They say they would not sign an agreement till the United States comes on board. The United States,on the other hand,has serious problems with the Kyoto Protocol and wants nothing to do with it. If there is no deal,then these countries would have to take the responsibility,” he said.