With the official draft treaty circulated on Friday creating clear divisions among 194 countries, Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said he would use the draft as a “starting point for further negotiations”.

However, he made it clear that India would not compromise on its three key principles — no legally binding emission cuts; no peaking year and no international review of domestic-funded mitigation actions.

“India will not compromise on its ‘teen-murti’,” he said, adding that the outcome of the talks must be within the UN Framework on Climate Change, and that it should stick to the Kyoto Protocol and abide by the Bali Action Plan.

“We must get an agreement in 2010,” Ramesh said.

He added that the text of the political statement should be ready by December 15. He hinted at a political statement at the end of the 12-day talks, which will be attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

“I have clearly and categorically stated on behalf of the Government of India that our prime minister is not coming here to negotiate the text,” Ramesh said.

Article 3 of the draft treaty calls on all parties to reduce emission cuts by 50, 85 or 90 per cent by 2050, while the subsequent part wants all parties to “peak” their carbon emissions “as soon as possible”.

Article 8 calls for a comprehensive review of the implementation of mitigation obligations with the first round beginning in 2016.

“I have made it absolutely clear that 3, 4 and 8 are red lines as far as India is concerned,” Ramesh said.

Noting that while India had a problem with certain provisions of the drafts, it was willing to use them as a basic text to build on.