OBAMA IN DENMARK TO PUSH CLIMATE DEAL
Baku, December 18 (AZERTAC). President Obama landed in Copenhagen, Denmark, Friday morning hoping he can help bridge the divide that has hampered a climate change agreement, CNN reports.
Obama is expected to begin meeting with world leaders with an hour of his arrival. He is scheduled to have an important meeting with Premier Wen Jiabao of China, and will also meet with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Brazilian President Lula da Silva.
Obama`s arrival was preceded by a warning from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
On Thursday, Clinton warned conference participants that they were "running out of time" to reach an agreement on what to do about global warming.
U.S. officials in Copenhagen and at the White House said talks broke down Wednesday after the Chinese delegation rejected U.S. demands that China, along with other nations, be required to provide "transparency" -- proving a commitment to cutting emissions.
Critics have said those attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference, which began December 7, have made little or no headway toward developing a plan.
The agreement Obama is hoping for out of Copenhagen would not be a treaty, nor would it be legally binding. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs acknowledged it would be "a political agreement that would lead to a treaty" later.
The last time the president traveled to Copenhagen -- in October to try to win the 2012 Olympic bid for Chicago -- he came back empty-handed.
"Coming back with an empty agreement would far worse," Gibbs said Thursday.
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