Jairam Ramesh denies rift in Govt over climate pact

Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said India's negotiation position remains intact and there were no rifts between the government and the negotiators, Chandrasekhar Dasgupta and Pradipto Gosh, who had initially decided to opt out of the team going to Copenhagen.

Pledging to reduce its emissions intensity by 20-25 per cent as done by China, India led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is ready to play a leadership role at the global climate summit at Copenhagen slated from Tuesday.

HT Image

Singh will join US President Barack Obama and over 100 world leaders at the summit with the likelihood of reaching a consensus on a new global deal to replace the Kyoto Protocol which expires in 2012.

"We want to be seen as a deal-maker and not a deal-breaker. We have already set our four non-negotiable positions including no legally binding emission cuts and no peaking year for the emissions as demanded by certain quarters," Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said.

He categorically stated that India's negotiation position remains intact and there were no rifts between the government and the negotiators, Chandrasekhar Dasgupta and Pradipto Gosh, who had initially decided to opt out of the team going to Copenhagen.

Ramesh said he had "necessary and productive" discussions with them and they will be the part of the delegation to attend the 12-day summit at Denmark.

But it would be tough negotiations with the rich nations, who are planning to table Danish draft which seeks peaking years for all the emerging economies and thus blurring the difference between the industrialised and countries like India and China.