Danish official: hopes for climate deal slim, negotiations stalled

Danish official: Hopes for climate deal slim

COPENHAGEN — A Danish official says there is little hope for a comprehensive climate deal in Copenhagen because negotiations between rich and poor countries are deadlocked.

The official says the Danish hosts of the U.N. conference have not given up hope but at the moment it looks as though they will not get the deal they hoped for. The official is not authorized to speak publicly about the talks and asked not to be named.

Denmark started the two-week conference with the ambition of crafting a comprehensive framework on curbing greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming and providing funds for poor countries to deal with climate change.

They wanted to get agreement on all the main elements so that a treaty could be signed next year.