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Denmark's prime minister says he does not think a legally binding deal on
climate change will be agreed upon at a December summit in Copenhagen.
Lars Loekke Rasmussen spoke ahead of an EU summit at which climate change will
be one of the main topics.
EU leaders must also decide how to secure the Czech Republic's ratification of
the Lisbon Treaty.
The treaty would create a full-time EU president, and leaders are expected to
discuss who could fill the role.
December's eagerly anticipated United Nations' Copenhagen Climate Summit will
attempt to hammer out a new global climate treaty to replace the UN Kyoto
Protocol.
But Mr Rasmussen said he did not believe a final deal on reducing greenhouse
emissions could be reached at the meeting.
The main story will revolve around what can be gleaned about Tony Blair's
chances to become the first President of the European Council
Gavin Hewitt
"We do not think it will be possible to decide all the finer details for a
legally binding regime," he said.
However, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that even if no treaty is signed
in Copenhagen, he was confident a political agreement could be reached there.
"We are not lowering expectations," he said. "If we can agree on four political
elements, then that could be a hallmark of success on climate change."
At the Brussels summit, European leaders will try to iron out their differences
over how much each EU member should pay to help developing nations fight global
warming.
EU SUMMIT AGENDA
The European Commission has recommended EU nations pay up to 15bn euros ($22bn;
13bn) a year from 2013 to developing nations to help them cope with climate
change.
But aid and environmental groups have said Europe should be prepared to pay
more than twice as much.
Talks last week on how to fund such aid collapsed as EU finance ministers
disagreed over how to share the costs.
'Risk of deadlock'
On the eve of the summit, Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, whose
country currently holds the rotating EU presidency, urged his counterparts to
compromise on agreeing climate aid figures to developing nations.
"We have a risk for a clear deadlock in the negotiations," he said.
"The emerging economies are looking for financing and without it they will not
make the required reduction targets."
The BBC's Oana Lungescu in Brussels says it is unclear how much money the EU is
willing to put on the table and who should pay what.
EU 20-20-20 TARGETS
Poland and other Eastern and Central European countries say they are too poor
to contribute much, our correspondent says.
The EU is committed to cutting carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 20% by 2020
and by up to 30% if other countries join in.
Developing nations have been arguing that industrialised countries should carry
most of the burden, because they are responsible for the majority of CO2
emissions.
The two-day Brussels meeting must also try to seal an agreement for the
ratification of the Lisbon reform treaty with the Czech Republic.
Czech President Vaclav Klaus is the only EU leader who has yet to sign the
treaty, demanding an opt-out from the treaty's Charter of Fundamental Rights.
The Eurosceptic Mr Klaus fears that charter could be used by ethnic Germans to
reclaim land they lost in the Czech Republic after World War II.
The Czech Constitutional Court is expected to rule next week on whether the
treaty complies with the country's constitution, clearing the way for Mr Klaus'
decision.
EU leaders are also expected to discuss who will fill the post of full-time
president that the Lisbon Treaty would create.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Luxembourg Premier Jean-Claude
Juncker have been touted as the leading candidates for the job.