Copenhagen climate meet

New Delhi, Dec 22 (PTI) Indian Government Tuesday
rejected Opposition charge of compromising with the country's
interests at Copenhagen climate meet, insisting that the
Accord will in no way affect India's sovereignty.

Environment Minister of India Jairam Ramesh, while
informing the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Indian Parliament)
on the outcome of last week's Climate Summit, however,
admitted that the government had digressed from its
pre-Copenhagen assurance on one aspect -- allowing provision
for "international consultation and analysis" rather than just
informing the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) about domestic mitigation programmes.
"I plead guilty. I moved from information to
consultation. Yes, there has been a shift," Ramesh said
responding to Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley's contention
that government had digressed from its commitment on reporting
of mitigation actions on climate change.
Equating the Copenhagen Accord with Sharm-el Sheikh
Indo-Pak Joint Statement, Jaitley said the government was
trying to interpret the Accord differently by engaging in
"spin doctoring".
The minister argued that India had to be flexible as
it, along with China, Brazil and South Africa, did not want to
be "responsible for failure" of the meet and be "blame boys".
At the same time, he asserted that the provision for
"international consultations and analysis" would not affect
India's sovereignty as guidelines for it had to be evolved.
"These clearly defined guidelines will ensure that the
national sovereignty is respected," he said, adding India will
ensure that the consultative process is not "intrusive".
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