Onboard Air India One (Khajurahao), Dec.18 (ANI): Efforts are on tofacilitate an informal meeting between the prime ministers of Indiaand China this morning, with sources in the official entourage sayingthere is a possibility of a “pull aside” meeting between 7.30 and 7.45a.m.

Sources also confirmed that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will bemaking a short intervention during the informal Heads of StatePlenary, and added that the gist of Dr. Singh’s address would be tohighlight the importance of preserving areas/issues where developedand developing countries have arrived at a consensus, and to make acommitment to take the negotiation process forward and beyondCopenhagen in areas/ issues where a consensus was yet to be reached.

Commenting on the outcome of the climate meeting here as on Thursday,sources said as of now the discussions are still stalemated, but addedthat chances of a consensus for taking the negotiations beyondCopenhagen are more brighter than arriving at some sort of a deal oragreement.

They confirmed that reports prepared by chairs of the Ad-hoc WorkingGroup on Long-Term Cooperative Action (AWG-LCA) and the Ad-hoc WorkingGroup on the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP) have been submitted to thepresident of the Conference of Parties-15 (COP-15) i.e. the DanishPrime Minister-but categorically stated the most of the documents “areessentially in brackets”. They said the two reports will placed beforethe conference delegates and the Heads of States for taking what theycalled a “procedural decision” which would form the basis forcontinuing negotiations post-Copenhagen.

They said there is a chance for a broad consensus, and it was expectedthat a three-page draft would be placed before the Heads of States,who in turn would deliberate on it, and subsequently issue acommuniqué that would essentially state that the negotiations aregoing to be taken forward.

Referring to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s speech made here onThursday, the sources said that Brown had pitched for a consensus onfour points - (1) That all 192 members countries attending the climatemeeting here agree that global temperatures would not go beyond thetwo degree Celsius mark (2) That developed nations agree to reducetheir carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2015, but no mention oftargeted figure by 2020 (3) That developing countries committhemselves to fulfilling mitigating emission standards and (4) Allcountries accept international verification of emission cuts.

On the financial side, the sources said that Brown has advocated thecreation of a Fast Start Fund (FSF) under which 10 billion dollarswill be set aside every year for three years between 2010 and 2013 tomeet the costs for emission cuts and secondly, a collection of 100billion dollars between 2010 and 2020, which would acquired throughpublic resources, international financial institution funding andcarbon market sources.

Sources said that while the above proposals were welcome, thedeveloping nations bloc have raised questions, notably that there isno mention of the obligations agreed to under the UNFCCC and the BaliAction Plan (BAP), nor is there a mention of the commitments agreed tounder the Kyoto Protocol.

“There is no clarity as to what is the way forward. There is nospecific mention of targets. A view is being projected by thedeveloped nations that a broad consensus is possible, but majordeveloping countries are preventing it from seeing the light of dayand that the latter are not willing to pitch in on the issue ofemission cuts or on the issue of international verification ofdomestic cuts,” said a source.

He further said that developed nations are seriously attempting tomove away from their agreed commitments under the Kyoto Protocol,which was an international and legally binding document on emissioncuts. He said there was a clause in the protocol that clearly statesthat a country that fails to go through with its agreed emission cutup to 2012, is liable to attract an additional 30 percent penalty ofthe value of the said cut. There were very strict complianceprocedures in the Kyoto Protocol that could not be waived aside by thedeveloped nations, he said.

As far the role of the United States was concerned, the sources saidthat Washington has signed and ratified the UNFCCC and the BAP, buthas not done so in the case of the Kyoto Protocol. Washington’searlier view was that instead of signing and ratifying the KyotoProtocol, countries could agree to “comparable (emission) commitments,but now, was backtracking and saying that under no circumstances couldthe United States be subjected to international compliance/procedures,but only international verification.

“The United States has effectively lowered the bar,” one source said.

As far as the finance part of Brown’s proposal was concerned, thesources said developing countries were of the view that the amountmentioned was “hardly enough” to help lesser developed countries(LDCs) and small island states (SIS) to meet their respective costsfor reducing emission standards.

The best one could hope for at Friday’s informal Heads of Statesplenary would be a candid exchange of views, an effort to convince theBASIC bloc and the African bloc to agree to take the negotiationprocess on climate change into the year 2010. A short communiqué couldemerge reaffirming commitment to the UNFCCC and the BAP. (ANI)