Beijing accused precipitating climate change stalemate

London, Dec. 20 (ANI): Some delegates who attended the recently concluded Conference of Parties-15 (COP-15) climate change meeting on Copenhagen, Denmark, have been openly critical of China for its intransigence.

They categorically blame Beijing for the drawing up of a less than satisfactory Copenhagen accord for tackling climate change.

The deal hammered out on Saturday, was expected to commit countries to deep cuts in carbon emissions, but in the end, it fell short of this goal after China fought hard against strong US pressure to submit to a regime of international monitoring.

Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, walked out of the conference at one point, and sent a lowly protocol officer to negotiate with US President Barack Obama.

In the end, a draft agreement put forward by China, and backed by Brazil, India and the African nations, commits the world to the broad ambition of preventing global temperatures from rising above 2C. It does not force any nation to make specific cuts.

"For the Chinese, this was our sovereignty and our national interest," The Observer quoted Xie Zhenhua, the head of the Chinese delegation, as saying.

The director general of the Swedish environment protection agency, Lars-Erik Liljelund, however, begged to disagree. He said: "China. China doesn't like numbers."

The accord was formally recognised after a dramatic all-night plenary session, during which the Danish chairman was forced to step aside, a Venezuelan delegate cut her hand. Britain's climate and energy secretary, Ed Miliband, salvaged the deal just as it appeared on the verge of being rejected.

Although hailed by Obama, activists and NGOs condemned the deal, while the European commission's president, Josi Manuel Barroso, admitted he was disappointed after EU attempts to introduce long-term targets for reducing global emissions by 50 percent by 2050 were blocked.

Miliband has been credited with helping to rescue the summit from disaster. He had been preparing to go to bed at 4 a.m., after the main accord had been agreed, only to be called by officials and warned that several countries were threatening to veto its signature.

Miliband agreed that the proposed deal was by no means perfect, and would have many problems, but added that it was a document that in substantive ways will make the lives of people around this planet better because it puts into effect fast-start finance of 30 billion dollars; it puts into effect a plan for 100 billion dollar of long-term public and private finance.

Delegates then agreed the deal. (ANI)