Copenhagen Accord does not affect sovereignty: Govt

Government on Tuesday rejected Opposition charge of compromising with the country's interests at Copenhagen climate meet, insisting that the Accord will in no way affect India's sovereignty.

Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, while informing the Rajya Sabha on the outcome of last week's Climate Summit, however, admitted that the government had digressed from its pre-Copenhagen assurance on one aspect - allowing provision for "international consultation and analysis" rather than just informing the UNFCCC about domestic mitigation programmes.

"I plead guilty. I moved from information to consultation. Yes, there has been a shift," Ramesh said responding to Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley's contention that government had digressed from its commitment on reporting of mitigation actions on climate change.

Equating the Copenhagen Accord with Sharm-el Sheikh Indo-Pak Joint Statement, Jaitley said the government was trying to interpret the Accord differently by engaging in "spin doctoring".

The minister argued that India had to be flexible as it, along with China, Brazil and South Africa, did not want to be "responsible for failure" of the meet and be "blame boys".

At the same time, he asserted that the provision for "international consultations and analysis" would not affect India's sovereignty as guidelines for it had to be evolved.

"These clearly defined guidelines will ensure that the national sovereignty is respected," he said, adding India will ensure that the consultative process is not "intrusive".

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