Danish proposal sidelines poor countries

'Like ants in a room full of elephants, poor countries are at risk of been squeezed out of the climatetalks in Copenhagen, said Oxfam's climate advisor Antonio Hill. 'As the talks ramp up and the big players put forward their proposals for the deal it is vitally important thatvulnerable countriesare part of the debate.

A copy of a proposal leaked to the UK's Guardian newspaper shows 'world leaders will next week be asked to sign an agreement that hands more power to rich countries and sidelines the UN's role in all future climate change negotiations, according to an article on the paper's website.

'The document is also being interpreted by developing countries as setting unequal limits on per capita carbon emissions for developed and developing countries in 2050; meaning that people in rich countries would be permitted to emit nearly twice as much under the proposals, the Guardian reported.

'The Danish proposal must not distract from the job at hand, Hill said. 'There must be a laser-like focus on the official text of the agreement over the next six days. With just a handful of days to go before a deal is signed all countries need to focus their efforts on theofficial process which offersthe best chance of a fair, ambitious and binding deal.

The climate summit is a negotiation and with the summit barely underway, there is still plenty of room to manoeuvre to find a fair, binding agreement.

'The Danish proposal falls far short of emissions cuts needed, and remains vague on the climate cash. One positive aspect is that it would put an end to the spaghetti bowl of channels which poor countries have to negotiate for financial helpthat mean only a fraction of the money availablegets to those in need, Hill said.

'The proposal from China and other emerging economies offers a more balanced vision of a deal but also needs significant work if it is going to serve the needs of the world's poorest people and prevent a climate catastrophe, he said.

'We need a strong deal that delivers the $200 billion in new money every year that poor countries need to adapt to a changing climate and reduce their emissions and sharp emissions reductions from rich countries.