Denmark hopes US will sign on to global climate deal

Danish Climate Minister Connie Hedegaard said Wednesday she hoped the United States would sign on to a politically binding climate agreement at the Copenhagen summit in December.

"We can't imagine having an agreement without the United States, they have to be a part of it," she told AFP.

Denmark, which is hosting the December 7-18 UN summit, has made it clear for several weeks that it now expects a politically rather than legally binding agreement.

"The deal must include all the participants and must not be just a simple piece of paper of no importance. It must include the main elements (on combatting global warming) and a deadline for it to become legally binding for all countries," she said.

The Copenhagen talks are aimed at achieving a global deal to slash greenhouse gas emissions and ease the impact of climate change before the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.

The United States did not sign on to Kyoto and it has called for a compromise at the Copenhagen summit.

"We cannot let the pursuit of perfection get in the way of progress," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a news conference in Singapore.

"If we all exert maximum effort and embrace the right blend of pragmatism and principle, I believe we can secure a strong outcome at Copenhagen," she said.

Beyond Copenhagen, "we are committed to reaching the goal of a global, legally binding climate agreement, and will continue working vigorously with the international community towards that end," Clinton said.

Hedegaard said she would host a final preparatory meeting in Copenhagen on November 16 and 17 with counterparts from some some 40 countries including the United States, China, India and Brazil.

She said financing would be among topics discussed.