Iran backs developing countries' stance at UN climate summit

Berlin, Dec 14, IRNA -- Iran supports the position of developing countries at the UN climate protection summit which calls on wealthy countries to discuss much deeper cuts in their greenhouse gas emissions, a senior Iranian official said here Monday.

We have a common stance with developing countries and we believe
that industrialized countries have to be committed to their obligations and principles of the convention, Mohammad Soltanieh of Iran's Environment Protection Organization told IRNA via phone from Copenhagen.

Talks with representatives from industrialized nations came to a halt for several hours at the UN climate meeting following demands by developing countries like China and India which called for a further reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by rich countries.

Representatives from developing countries, a bloc of 135 nations, did not take part in any formal working groups at the 192-nation summit until the issue was resolved.

African nations had repeatedly complained that Denmark which is chairing the UN climate meeting, had not taken serious their demands.

According to Soltanieh, a German official representing industrialized
counties and his Indonesian counterpart representing the interests
of the developing world had been assigned to jump-start the bogged down talks./end