India against emission limit on developing nations

MANILA: India on Wednesday asked industralised countries not to put the onus on developing nations in bringing down greenhouse emission levels as it would affect their development.

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and his counterparts from the 10-member ASEAN and other leaders across the board focussed mainly on the climate change issue during their ministerial and bilateral meetings here.

There is no fear that India's emissions will cross the danger levels but the country does not want the developed nations to limit the level of emissions to a degree where it can affect the development of developing countries, sources briefing reporters said, adding the developed countries should extend coal beneficial technology to the developing nations.

"A common stand needs to be evolved so that both the developing and the developed countries benefit," an official source said.

Indonesia is hosting an international conference on climate change later this year and the agenda includes what the developed and the developing world can do and need to do regarding emissions and global warming.

During bilateral talks with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi, Mukherjee discussed at length the climate change scenario and energy security besides various other issues including growing bilateral trade.

New Delhi and Beijing also reviewed bilateral ties and expressed deep satisfaction that the trade target was "within the realm of achievability," the sources said.