Denmark-bound,Wen,Manmohan exchange notes

Amidst talks of divisions in the G-77,the group of developing countries,over demands from the small island nations...

Amidst talks of divisions in the G-77,the group of developing countries,over demands from the small island nations,India and China today closed ranks and held telephonic consultations with each other to press ahead with a joint strategy for a successful outcome from the Copenhagen climate change conference.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao called up Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and exchanged views on the proceedings at the Copenhagen summit,the Prime Ministers Office in New Delhi said.

The two leaders agreed that the two sides would keep in touch with each other in the run-up to this important conference, the PMO said.

Both leaders are scheduled to attend the Heads of States meeting towards the end of the climate change conference. The talks assume significance in view of the close coordination that the two countries have been showing at negotiations here. In fact,members of the two negotiating teams hold bilateral meetings at regular intervals to work out a joint strategy.

The latest example of this was seen in the case of the proposal by the tiny Pacific island country of Tuvalu where both India and China spoke in one voice in opposing it. Tuvalu wanted the creation of a new protocol like the Kyoto Protocol to meet demands of small island states that want the global rise in temperatures to be limited to within 1.5 degree Celsius from pre-industrial levels,not the 2 degrees that most countries agree to do now.

India and China took the stand that the talk of a new protocol was not part of the Bali Action Plan and at this time would only benefit the rich and industrialized countries who would try to exploit the differences in the developing countries camp.

The opposition to the Tuvalu proposal generated talks of a rift in the G-77 camp. An Indian negotiator,however,dismissed such speculation.

Story continues below this ad

G-77 is together and united. And India and China are working very closely together in the interest of the developing and the least developed countries, he said.

The Indian delegation is awaiting the arrival of Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh who is scheduled to join the team tomorrow for the ministerial meetings starting on Saturday.

Today,Ramesh informed the Cabinet about Indias stand at the climate change conference and carefully explained the nuances of the countrys positions on different aspects. The Cabinet is said to have agreed with the positions enunciated by Ramesh and offered its full support to the negotiating team at Copenhagen.

Meanwhile,Tuvalu continued to remain at the centrestage of negotiations here,forcing a suspension of the meetings for the second consecutive day. After its proposal for a new protocol was opposed by India,China and some other countries,Tuvalu moved an amendment to the Kyoto Protocol,asking for legally binding emission cuts from major developing economies as well. It was again opposed by many developing countries and led to a longish suspension of negotiations. The issue remained unresolved at the end of the day and the matter was likely to be referred to informal groups for discussion tomorrow.

Story continues below this ad

Tuvalus latest initiative came even as the Alliance of Small Island Countries AOSIS the grouping to which it belongs distanced itself from the proposal floated on Wednesday. The 43-member group said it had still to study Tuvalus proposal though it did agree with the objectives that lay therein. AOSIS said it would submit its own proposal for a Copenhagen agreement very shortly.