GLOBAL CLIMATE DEBATE

UN Envoy Expects Dual Track Climate Talks

As the world sets its sights on Mexico for the COP-16 climate conference, one negotiator says formal talks are becoming less important.

Special United Nations climate envoy Gro Harlem Brundtland says the Copenhagen Accord -- a deal reached by world leaders outside the formal negotiations -- is the kind of agreement that will play a critical role as the world moves toward a binding international climate treaty.

Brundtland foresees "more of a double track system," with outside talks like the ones at Copenhagen, plus the UN framework system.

Brundtland adds that what happened in Copenhagen will be a base for the negotiations leading to Mexico in late November.