Kerry finds India ‘positive’ at Paris climate conference

After a meeting with the U.S. Secretary of State, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar asserted that there was no compromise on Common But Differentiated Responsibilities.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks during a briefing with reporters during the COP21 United Nations conference on climate change at Le Bourget, Paris on Tuesday.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry who said India could be a challenge at the U.N. Climate Conference in November, said on Tuesday night that he had “very positive” discussions with Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar. After the meeting, the Minister asserted that there was no compromise on the question of Common But Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR), which separates poor and rich countries for fixing of responsibilities and distribution of finance, under the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Mr. Kerry told a small group of Indian journalists that his hour-long discussions with Mr. Javadekar were “very constructive, very positive. We are just working hard, we will keep working. We appreciate the good efforts of the Indian delegation”.

The Environment Minister echoed the sentiment, and said the discussions with the U.S. would continue. Asked what the issues were for the U.S., Mr. Javadekar cited differentiation among countries [in a future climate agreement] and transparency as among the issues for America.

“As you have seen all day, we have been having discussions with all groups, all countries. We will meet tomorrow also and during the next 72 hours. Mr. Kerry will meet [French Foreign Minister] Fabius now. He will also be here for 72 hours. This week we want a just climate agreement,” the Minister said.

Mr. Javadekar asserted that there was no question of diluting the principle of CBDR. “There is no question of compromise. He knows that it is fundamental to us and did not come to change it.”

In an interview to the Financial Times , Mr. Kerry had said, “India has been more cautious [than China], a little more restrained in its embrace of this new paradigm, and >it’s a challenge ,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of focus on India right now to try to bring them along.” He had also regretted India’s stance on using domestic coal.

There is political pressure in the United States to bring India and other emerging economies on an equal footing with richer nations, with commitments to reduce carbon emissions.