Shyam Saran returning to Delhi for consultations with prime minister

As crucial climate talks got underway here, India's lead negotiator Shyam Saran is returning to New Delhi to update prime minister Manmohan Singh on the deliberations.

Saran, who is the prime minister's special envoy on Climate Change, will return to Delhi on Thursday to brief him about the flavour of the negotiations at the 12-day summit to decide on a pact to reduce carbon emissions to check global warming, sources said.

He will travel back to Copenhagen along ith the prime minister.

Singh is scheduled to attend the final leg of the climate change conference which is expected to see a strong political statement to tackle climate change that could be worked into a legally binding treaty next year.

Environment minister Jairam Ramesh, who will be here on Friday, will lead the Indian delegation at the high-level segment that commences on next Monday.

There has been a lot of political opposition to India's perceived change in stand on the climate negotiations. Differences among some negotiators and the government had spilled out into the open and environment minister Jairam Ramesh had to give categorical assurances to them following which they agreed to participate in the Copenhagen talks.

Saran will surely have these things in mind when he discusses the issue with the prime minister.