Durban - While the climate change conference in Durban may not be able to produce a legally binding second commitment to the Kyoto Protocol, developed countries need to give guarantees that they will sign for a new commitment period post 2012.
This was the view on Tuesday of the BASIC countries, an informal negotiating group in the UN climate change talks that consists of Brazil, South Africa, India and China.
The group is negotiating a common goal at the talks and wants to see an outcome in Durban that will further benefit developing countries using the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.
Although not formally recognised by the UN, the bloc was formed in November 2009 to act jointly at the Copenhagen climate change summit.
"We are in favour of a legally binding instrument but most importantly, we need to have an important response plan post 2020 and that starts with the Kyoto protocol," said Director of Environment and Special Themes in Brazil's Ministry of External Affairs, Luiz Alberto Figueiredo.
He said the group demanded to know what the international climate response plan would be after 2020 when voluntary emission reductions ended.
South Africa's Environment Minister Edna Molewa said: "We urge all countries to honour their commitments. There must be compromises with the knowledge that the outcome may not satisfy all of us."
It was also important that all the Cancun agreements were operationalised after the Durban conference to allow some form of progress moving to COP18 in Qatar next year.
