File Photo of White House Press Secretary, Josh Earnest. (AFP)
Climate change negotiators in Paris are focused on trying to bring everybody together and the substantial commitment made by every country, including India, prior to the conference will be an important factor in the success of the summit, the White House has said.
"I think any time you're talking about 180 countries coming together to agree on a single draft text of an agreement, it's going to require a lot of people to work together to find that common ground," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters.
The White House indicated that it does not agree with the ongoing narrative in the American media and Western press that India is the only stumbling block in a successful climate change negotiations currently underway at Paris.
Responding to a question, Mr Earnest said the negotiations in Paris are focused on trying to bring everybody together.
"Certainly, the substantial commitments that every country, including India, has made prior to the Paris conference will be an important factor in our success," Mr Earnest said.
"But we're going to continue to work in that multilateral forum to bring the world together. There's no denying that the significant commitments that have been made by the United States in conjunction with China have catalysed an international reaction that makes an historic agreement more likely," he said.
"But there's still another week of negotiations that remain. And the hard work of bringing the world together I think probably means more sleepless nights for some of our negotiators," Mr Earnest said.
Meanwhile at the UN headquarters in New York, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he would continue to press developed countries to recognise their responsibility to take the lead, while urging developing countries to do more in line with their growing capabilities.
"The world has gone too long without a universal climate agreement that includes all countries as part of the solution. We cannot delay any longer," he told reporters.
Mr Ban will soon head to Paris again to participate in the negotiations.
"There is no perfect agreement. But our goal is clear: an agreement that truly addresses climate change, and puts the world on track for long-term prosperity, stability and peace. That is what the days ahead in Paris can and must deliver," he asserted.
"In the global economy, the transition to a low-emissions future is well under way. In the negotiating room, there is still a lot of work to do. Key issues remain unresolved, and there is not much time left," Mr Ban said.