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http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/Cancun-Strategy-BASIC-meet-in-China-today-for-international-consultation--analysis/articleshow/6726710.cms

Barely a month before the Cancun climate summit, ministers of the BASIC countries will be meeting for a crucial round of consultations in Tianjin on Monday. Apart from ministers of Brazil, South Africa, India and China, the meeting will be attended by the G-77 chair Yemen, Grenada, Ethiopia, Egypt and Argentina.

Even though the BASIC meets once every three months for co-ordinated strategising, the Monday’s meeting is critical. It comes in the immediate aftermath of the Tianjin round of negotiations and just ahead of the pre-Conference of Parties meeting in early November. The Tianjin meet under the aegis of the UNFCCC was the last round of negotiations ahead of the Cancun meet.
If week-long negotiation meet in Tianjin is a portend of Cancun, then the US will continue to insist a tougher regime for China as a precondition taking on substantial binding action. To formulate a counter which will not stall negotiations, the BASIC meeting will focus on discussing framework and modalities for international consultation and analysis. India, in particular, is keen that developing countries submit a framework proposal. “It is better that we submit a model before one is thrust on us by the developed countries,” a senior official said. A broad outline as been suggested by environment minister Jairam Ramesh at meetings of the Major Economic Forum (MEF).
The discussion on international consultation and analysis (ICA) is important given the US stance. Working out a strategy for ICA is important as the US insists that it will not agree to compliance unless major developing countries agreed to compliance under ICA. The unwillingness of the US to submit to a compliance regime has become a stumbling block for a second commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol.
The BASIC countries agree that they will not put down their pledges on mitigation action till a framework and modalities for international consultation and analysis are agreed upon. “We are clear that till the modalities for international consultation and analysis are finalised, developing countries will not inscribe their pledges,” Mr Ramesh told ET. Experts say that this would ensure that developing countries are not short changed. This mirrors of the stand taken by the US on finance.
The BASIC countries are firm that international consultation and analysis as agreed to in the Copenhagen Accord meant developing countries would allow for clarification of data and methodology used to calculate the result of mitigation actions. However, it wouldn’t allow for a discussion on the suitability of actions taken to deal with climate change. This view will have to be reinforced as the US has suggested that ICA was not to be limited to analysis of aggregate data but included sectoral actions. This would bring into its purview the nature and suitability of action adopted to deal with climate change.
Another issue that will be taken up at this ministerial is the nature of the outcome at Cancun and the future of the Kyoto Protocol. At the September meeting of the MEF in New York, the US suggested an international agreement with developed countries taking absolute cuts and developing countries taking on relative cuts, that is in relation to their GDP. However, having agreed to these cuts, these must be adhered.