Pretoria - South Africa has met with several nations for a series of discussions ahead of next week's Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.
Representatives from Brazil, China, India, Sudan and South Africa recently met in Beijing to discuss a coordinated approach to the conference.
The Department of Water and Environmental Affairs said the purpose of the meeting was to prepare for and contribute to a positive, ambitious and equitable outcome in Copenhagen.
"Discussion began of a substantive draft of a possible Copenhagen outcome reflecting on progress made in the two negotiation tracks in terms of the Bali Roadmap, namely negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol respectively," a statement said.
It said the nations were in agreement on major issues, including those relating to the establishment of a second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol, as well as a shared vision for long-term cooperative action on climate change.
These include mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, adaptation to the impacts of climate change, and the provision of finance and technology to support and enable these actions.
"We believe that this work represents a sound starting point, and we will continue to work together over the next few days and weeks as our contribution towards a consensus in Copenhagen," the department said.
