BONN - Deadlock over how to bring the United States and big developing nations to the climate negotiating table frustrated U.N.-hosted talks this week, meant to lay the groundwork for a conference in Indonesia in December.

At issue is extending and strengthening the Kyoto Protocol on global warming after its obligations expire in 2012. Only rich countries face emissions targets under Kyoto now and the stumbling block is that some of them want big emitting developing nations to do more next time round.

Despite recent U.N. reports ringing alarm bells on global warming, the United States and Japan saw little prospect for launching formal talks to extend Kyoto at the Bali conference.

“You need all major emitters to join in, including India, China and the United States,” said Japan’s chief climate negotiator, Mutsuyoshi Nishimura. “I’m really, really pessimistic that those conditions are going to be met. I have low expectations of kicking off negotiations in Bali.”

The United States never ratified the Kyoto Protocol and ruled out talks in Bali to change the pact’s parent treaty, the Convention on Climate Change, a necessary step to extend Kyoto. “Certainly it would be premature,” chief U.S. negotiator Harlan Watson told Reuters.

Developing countries do not have to shoulder targets in the next Kyoto period after 2013, said Jamil Ahmad, coordinator for the G77 group which represents 132 developing countries.
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