A summit in the jungle city of Manaus in Brazil to set Amazon priorities on climate change got underway, despite the presidents of Colombia and Venezuela bailing out.

The Leaders of Brazil, Guyana and France, representing French Guiana, attended the meeting. Other nations sent vice presidents or ministers. Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva said he would go to Copenhagen in December, with the conviction that the discussion will be the most important ever done on the issue of climate.

While French President Nicholas Sarkozy underlined that Copenhagen should not only see numbers to restrict emissions, but also see more developed countries helping less developed countries and countries whose forests are essential to the human stability.

(CCTV November 27, 2009)