From correspondents in Europe, 12:01 AM IST

Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen Wednesday rejected criticism of a Danish working paper at the UN climate change conference deemed by developing countries to go against previous agreements.

Rasmussen, host of the Copenhagen gathering, said the criticism levelled by the Group of 77 (G77) body of developing nations was unjustified, given that the working paper was merely a draft.

'There are many different working papers,' he said.

A spokesperson for the G77 accused Denmark of taking sides with the industrialized states attending the conference, thus further underscoring the north-south divide.

The Danish text, drafted by the Danish prime minister's office and circulated among a restricted group of delegations, envisages a controversial deadline for emissions from developing nations to peak.

It also calls for financial support from rich nations to prioritize 'the poorest and most vulnerable countries,' rather than all developing nations.

Rasmussen said negotiations in the coming days would determine what would come out of the summit, adding he expected a first draft of a final text at the weekend.

A finalized version is hoped for by the end of next week.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)