Future negotiations should be based on Kyoto Protocol: Prime minister

With no signs of a possible deal at the climate summit here, prime minister Manmohan Singh today made it clear that future negotiations on tackling the menace should be based on equitable burden sharing as enshrined in the Kyoto Protocol and Bali mandate.

Addressing the crucial final day of the summit, Singh said the outcome of the summit may fall short of expectations, and warned against any dilution of the principles of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), particularly of "common but differentiated" responsibilities.

"Future negotiations must continue on the basis of 1997 Kyoto Protocol and 2007 Bali Action Plan, and parties (rich nations) should deliver on their commitments for emission cuts. Kyoto Protocol should continue to stand as a valid legal instrument," Singh said.

He said that it would go against international public opinion if "we succumb in its replacement by a new and weaker set of commitments."

"We have all worked hard to reconcile our different points of view. The outcome may well fall short of expectations, neverthless, it can become a significant milestone.

"I therefore support calls for subsequent negotiations towards building a truly global and genuinely collaborative response to climate change being concluded during 2010," Singh said.