Obama arrives in Copenhagen, crunch day of climate talks

Dec 18, 2009, 8:27 GMT

   Copenhagen - US President Barack Obama arrived Friday in Copenhagen for the last and crucial day of UN climate change talks.

   Obama was scheduled to have bilateral meetings with a handful of the some 120 leaders attending the summit, including Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.

An agreement between China and the United States, who together account for nearly half the world's carbon emissions blamed for global warming, is seen as crucial by negotiators from around the world to reach a deal on fighting global warming.

Negotiations were continuing after a late-night mini-summit on the fringe of the UN talks which brought together some 26 leaders and top officials from powers such as China, India, Russia and the United States, as well as European and African leaders.

Obama's advance schedule indicated meetings with Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen of the host nation Denmark, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

The meeting with Medvedev could possibly touch on a follow-up treaty on reducing nuclear arms.