Thirty-six hours after a dramatic walkout by African nations froze negotiations at the climate change talks that are underway, who claimed that the rich industrialized countries were backsliding on their promises to curb man-made carbon emissions blamed for global warming, negotiations resumed here today after the Chairman of the negotiations, Antigua and Barbuda's UN Ambassador Dr. John W. Ashe was able to persuade the African nations to return to the negotiation table to continue with negotiation aimed at developing stronger emissions targets for the 37 industrialized countries and renew the Kyoto Protocol accord.

Prime Minister Spencer, who is closely monitoring the negotiations, noted that the UN needs all parties to the 1997 Kyoto agreement to agree on renewing greenhouse-gas limits that are binding on developed countries only through 2012.

"The concerns that led to the walkout by the African Group, although valid, threatened to derail a two-year programme to conclude a new global-warming treaty in Copenhagen at a UN climate summit starting Dec. 7. And even though more than 190 countries are involved in the negotiations, it was fairly obvious to all that the talks could not have continued without them. Therefore I am pleased that our UN Ambassador was able to find a satisfactory solution to defuse the crisis and allow the African group to rejoin the negotiations," he said.

Ambassador Ashe noted that the African nations had demanded that the developed countries make more ambitious pledges for emissions cuts after 2012, when the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol ends.

"They (the African Group) rejected discussions on related topics such as carbon offsets, which can be traded in markets, and new ways to measure gases scientists blame for climate change, and were calling on the 27-nation European Union, Australia, Canada, and other developed nations that are parties to Kyoto to agree to cut their emissions by at least 40 percent from 1990 levels by 2020. That's the maximum sought by a UN scientific panel in a range from 25 percent to 40 percent," he said.

Under the agreement brokered by Ambassador Ashe, 60 percent of the remaining negotiating time in Barcelona will be dedicated to discussing the targets, and 40 percent will be used to discuss other elements.

"The position we have taken is in no way intended to block the progress, but to ensure we have ambitious numbers," Pa Ousman Jarju, a Gambian delegate speaking on behalf of the African nations, said after the agreement.

The UN talks are divided into the Kyoto Protocol track to set targets for all developed countries except the U.S., which never ratified the treaty, and a separate set that includes the U.S., and is also discussing actions developing nations such as China and India will do to cut their greenhouse gases.

The 27-nation EU has said it will lower emissions by 20 percent in the same time frame and increase that to a 30 percent cut if a global deal is reached. Japan has pledged to cut gas discharges by 25 percent in the three decades through 2020 while Norway has made a 40 percent reduction pledge.

Australia's 25 percent reduction pledge is from 2000 levels, which were higher than 1990, so it isn't ambitious enough. Other developed countries that are members of the Kyoto Protocol include Russia, Canada, New Zealand and Switzerland. (Ends)