Copenhagen - "there is a risk of failure"

Copenhagen 1pm

With the hours ticking away the screws are really being turned on China, which the US and France are now briefing against. It seems China isn't ready to play ball on verification. Britain has jumped in too , accusing some countries of not being as committed as the UK and others are. Doesn't take a genius to work out who the British official was refering to when he said this a few minutes ago:

“The Prime Minister is involved in a tough long and intense set of negotiations and is fighting hard for a deal though the prospects are not great.

He has been asked to bring together people on the climate finance aspects where there is a degree of consensus arond the $100bn figure, particularly among the European, Americans and Africans

But a number of key countries are holding out against the overall package and time is now running short.

The PM is committed to doing all he can until the very last minute to make this deal happen but other countries also need to show the same level of commitment. There is a risk of failure.”

I'm reading this as the combination of muscle and charm that the US is deploying to get China onboard.