BBC News
Dec. 15, 2007 -- The United States said the climate change negotiating process it agreed to in Bali must ensure developing states take their fair share of emission cuts.
The deal did not meet this principle fully, the White House said -- climate change could not be curbed by emission cuts from developed countries alone.
Environmentalists have criticised the lack of firm reduction targets in the plan which the US initially rejected.
It launches talks to reach emissions cuts to replace the Kyoto Protocol.
There is nothing in the White House statement that contradicts the Bali roadmap, the BBC News website's Richard Black notes.
It is more a question of the White House spelling out what its concerns are, and what it will be looking for as the negotiations from Bali proceed, our environment correspondent says.
(snip)
Washington's delegation accepted it only after it was booed by other delegates for rejecting it.
"The US has been humbled by the overwhelming message by developing countries that they are ready to be engaged with the problem, and it's been humiliated by the world community," said Bill Hare of Greenpeace.
"I've never seen such a flip-flop in an environmental treaty context ever."
Read More: The BBC