Marrakesh, 2 November 2009 

Delegates to climate talks in Copenhagen may not be able to agree even a partial solution to the problem of how to tackle global warming by December, a top international climate change official said.

The head of energy efficiency and environment at the International Energy Agency, Richard Bradley, said he sensed delegates were not interested in half-way measures because they feared that might tie their hands in other areas later.

"It looks like negotiators from the major economies are unlikely to conclude that addressing part of the problems in Copenhagen and then finishing them later is an outcome they could live with," Bradley told Reuters late on Saturday.

"The negotiators I have talked to ... probably aren't prepared to solve part of the problems (in Copenhagen)," he said. "Frankly, from what I have seen, they are not even ready to solve any of the problems."

After months of saying there is no "Plan B", the United Nations, Denmark and some other European countries now say the December 7-18 conference may at best reach a political deal to step up the fight against global warming.

Agreeing to extra talks in 2010 risks a loss of momentum but even backers of a robust pact are reluctantly starting to look to new deadlines next year.

China and India say industrialised countries should cut emissions by 2020 by at least 40 percent below 1990 levels -- far more than average cuts on offer of between 11 and 15 percent -- and want billions of dollars in aid and new technology.

Bradley said IEA member governments were under heavy pressure to show some form of progress: "I don't think any of the IEA countries can live politically without showing a seriousness of purpose and direction".

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By Tom Pfeiffer