BASIC Environment Ministers meet tomorrow

New Delhi, Feb 25 (PTI) Environment Ministers of thefour BASIC countries will meet here tomorrow to assess thepost-Cancun climate change policy and actions at the globaland national level and discuss coordination in going forward.

The sixth meeting of the Environment Ministers fromBrazil, South Africa, India and China (BASIC) will be thefirst major international meeting of any group of countriessince December, 2010, when Cancun Agreements were reachedunder the leadership of Mexico as the Chair of 16th Conferenceof Parties to the UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol.

Representatives from Argentina, Algeria and the Maldiveshave also been invited for tomorrow''s meeting of the quartetformed in Beijing in November 2009.

In the run up to Durban in South Africa, where the nextCancun summit will be held in December, 2011, the countriesare expected to finalize the rules and modalities forimplementing the Cancun decisions.

Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said over the last 15months, BASIC has become a powerful force in climate changenegotiations and it will continue to work closely to ensure apositive outcome at Durban and beyond.

"The BASIC Ministers have been meeting regularly sinceCopenhagen to exchange views and evolve a coordinated approachto important negotiating issues. We will continue to workclosely to ensure a positive outcome at Durban and beyond,while advancing the interests of our countries and partners,"Ramesh said in a statement.