Developing countries have well-handled coordinating systems in climate negotiations, and the climate talks will continue to move forward on depth and intensity, said Vijai Sharma, the chief of Indian delegation attending the first round of UN 2010 climate talks in Bonn, Germany.

Vijai Sharma, the chief of Indian delegation attending the first round of UN 2010 climate talks, speaks in an interview with Xinhua News Agency, in Bonn, Germany, April 10, 2010. [Xinhua]

In an exclusive interview with Xinhua Saturday, Sharma said the developing blocs, such as Group of 77 (G77) and China, Alliance of Small Island States, were coordinating each other "effectively and efficiently" in the three-day Bonn conference on April 9-11.

"The April meeting is to elaborate on how to organize ourselves better for the conference held in Cancun, Mexico," Sharma said. " We, parties of G77 and China, meet twice a day, one in 9 a.m. and another 2 p.m., before we going to the main discussions of the two working groups."

"You can see a very strong working atmosphere," he said. " Negotiators come back to the old place and are familiar with each other. They understand the very subject to a new depth and intensity and are eager to work together under a common task."

He said that the G77 and China "respect various perspectives of different countries, based on their own national dimensions," which was "a very important starting point and solid foundation for any negotiation." "Sometimes the coordination takes a little long time, because there are so many countries, but our coordinators are doing a very good job for various items," he said.

Sharma, secretary of Indian environment ministry, is running for executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to succeed Yvo de Boer, who is to resign on July 1.

"For many years I was a coordinator and spokesperson for the G77 and China under the Kyoto Protocol mechanism," he said. "I have a good exposure to the multilateral processes on climate change. Once you earn enough experience from it, you are able to know where the could-be problems are and make according decisions. "

He maintained that the climate talks were moving forward step by step, though failing to reach a legally binding treaty in the Copenhagen summit as 2007 Bali Roadmap planned. "If you recall the days in Copenhagen, you will find the dust was huge then, but the conference managed to bring climate change to the center stage of attention."

"Both public and private sector are gearing up to respond to climate change unprecedentedly after Copenhagen," he said. "The high-level meeting triggered so many announcements of countries and wide media coverage. Won't you think this is a great achievement?"

He said the main challenges of the negotiations were "how to identify and consolidate our consensus, and further draw upon what is common from various point of views."

"We wish for good outcomes in Cancun by offering sincere and practical efforts," he said.

The Bonn climate meeting is aimed at drawing up a calendar for the whole 2010 and preparing for an annual ministerial-level meeting in Cancun, Mexico, scheduled from November 29 to December 10, another chance of reaching a legally binding framework.

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