Port of Spain(Trinidad & Tobago), Nov 29 – French Presiden Nicholas Sarkozy has said that there was a tremendous sense of urgency surrounding the coming UN Summit on Climate Change in Copenhagen next month and the world’s nations should not miss the opportunity to get out of the sterile North-South confrontation to get binding commitments. Addressing a special session of the Commonwealth heads of governments here Sarkozy said that it was the first time a French President had been invited to a Commonwealth summit. He said the leaders of the nations must come up with hard and fast figures. Industrial and emerging countries must come up like Brazil who has committed to a 50 per cent carbon reduction by 2050, he said.

Expressing satisfaction over his talks with Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Sarkozy said that he was fully confident that the Prime Minister would be present at Copenhagen. Till date 85 nations have decided to attend the summit, he said.

Sarkozy said that developed countries must financially help developing countries to face the challenge of global warming. Introducing the Fairness Climate Plan whose priority was to combat deforestation, he said that decisions on mechanisms for monitoring decisions and commitments were imperative. “We need to set up a world environmental organisation,”he added.

With regard to the Copenhagen summit, he said: “We either succeed or fail”. There are 20 days left until the start of the two-week summit and 20 days ahead to shift things further down the line, he added.