US sets terms for climate talks

Reaction to a deal at the UN summit in Bali on curbing climate change, after days of bitter wrangling.

BAN KI-MOON, UN SECRETARY GENERAL

I am deeply grateful to many member states for their spirit of flexibility and compromise.

HUMBERTO ROSA, CHIEF EU NEGOTIATOR

It was exactly what we wanted, we are indeed very pleased. We will have now two tremendously demanding years, starting right in January.

PAULA DOBRIANSKY, CHIEF US NEGOTIATOR

The United States is very committed to this effort and just wants to really ensure we all act together. We will go forward and join consensus.

JOHN BAIRD, CANADIAN ENVIRONMENT MINISTER

One-hundred-and-ninety countries are represented here. Thirty-eight of them agreed to take on national binding targets today, we've just got to work on some of the other 150.

YVO DE BOER, UN CLIMATE CHIEF

Parties have recognised the urgency of action on climate change and have now provided the political response to what scientists have been telling us is needed.

GORDON BROWN, UK PRIME MINISTER

This agreement is a vital step forward for the whole world... The Bali roadmap agreed today is just the first step. Now begins the hardest work, as all nations work towards a deal in Copenhagen in 2009 to address the defining challenge of our time.

HASSAN WIRAJUDA, INDONESIAN FOREIGN MINISTER

No single country was excluded, in a very inclusive process.

KAPIL SIBAL, INDIAN SCIENCE MINISTER

The world community realises that unless the US comes on board we cannot achieve our goal.

JACQUELINE CRAMER, DUTCH ENVIRONMENT MINISTER

The United States was willing to give in. The G77 was willing to give in, everybody was willing to give in. We could not leave here without a Bali roadmap.

HANS VEROLME, CONSERVATION GROUP WWF

The [US] administration was out on a wrecking mission.

TONY JUNIPER, FRIENDS OF THE EARTH

This deal is very disappointing. We said we needed a roadmap, but this conference has failed to give us a clear destination. We urgently need to find a way forward for an international agreement. This is a journey we have to make together.

CHRISTIAN AID

International development agency Christian Aid welcomes the last minute agreement... It is dismayed, however, that crucial target figures for cutting carbon emissions in rich countries were removed from the final agreement.

ELIOT DIRIGER, PEW CENTER ON GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE

We need the US at the table ready to do that in order to get other countries to come on, but "Yes" it [the conference] does provide the opening for the next person in the White House, and I'm confident that whoever that person is there'll be a greater willingness to engage constructively in this process.