India to hold meeting of BASIC group partners

India will on Sunday hold a meeting with its BASIC group partners comprising China, Brazil and South Africa in the capital to firm up a common position on the climate front post-Copenhagen.

"The representatives of the BASIC nations will hold a meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on January 24. Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh will also be present there.

"The idea is to chalk out the climate strategy ahead of the formal negotiations that will run through the year," a senior official in the environment ministry said.

The members are expected to deliberate on the larger implications of accepting emission reduction commitments and climate actions under Copenhagen Accord for which the deadline ends on January 31.

"It depends on the outcome of the meeting what position India will take under the Accord deadline," the official added.

The meeting is also expected to strengthen the bond between the nations which had played a significant role in brokering a climate deal with US President Barack Obama during last-minute hectic negotiations in Copenhagen last year.

With only 26 nations, including the BASIC group, agreeing with the Copenhagen Accord, it could be only taken note of and not become a legally binding document in the absence of consensus among 194 UN member countries.