Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen will replace Minister Connie Hedegaard and take the chair as president of the Conference of Parties from the beginning of the High-Level Segment of the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen, Rasmussen said Wednesday.

The Danish premier has appointed Hedegaard as his special representative. Thus, she will continue conducting informal consultations to the Copenhagen Outcome.

"Approximately 115 heads of state and government have decided to participate in COP15 at summit level to close a deal in Copenhagen," said Lokke Rasmussen.

"This historical will to address the climate challenge is the strongest possible driver for a global agreement. The final negotiations will be tense and strenuous. I have therefore asked Minister Connie Hedegaard to continue to negotiate the Copenhagen outcome with her colleagues."

Hedegaard said in an official announcement: "With so many Heads of State and Governments arriving to give their statements it is appropriate that the Danish Prime Minister presides."

However, with the negotiation falling into an impasse Tuesday night, changing the president of conference unexpectedly arouses many versions of non-governmental observers' explanation.

Yu Jie, head of the Research Program of The Climate Group China office, said: "Connie and Lokke Rasmussen had varied attitudes towards the developing and developed countries during talks. Connie stresses the calls and interests by the developing countries, while Lokke Rasmussen stands by the developed countries."

"From the replacement, currently it is very hard to tell how the Copenhagen outcome will balance the calls and interests between the developing and developed countries," she said.

Tuesday night, during the consultation on Long-term Cooperation Action (LCA) under the UNFCCC, the US official delegation expressed the dissatisfaction over the text to the conference chair twice, because the draft text regulates the US "should reduce the greenhouse gas emission comparable in legal form". Meanwhile, the US does not agree with the articles related to the mitigation responsibilities by developing countries, either.

It resulted in a nine-hour adjourning of the conference of parties, which was scheduled to start at 10:00 PM on Tuesday. When the conference restarted at 9 am yesterday, the latest draft text has included the US counter-proposals.

(China Daily December 17, 2009)