Hans Verolme, Director of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)'s Global Climate Change Program, today called on ministers attending the ongoing UN climate conference in Bali, Indonesia, to break the deadlock and secure a "Bali Mandate the world is crying out for."

In a press release today at the sideline of a UN climate conference in Bali, Indonesia, Hans said "Ministers need to see the wood from the trees and personally invest in a political package that meets the needs of a climate-stressed world."

"Also it must result in a binding global deal by 2009 under which all rich countries make deep cuts in emissions, and agreement on technology and other incentives to speed up climate action everywhere," he said.

He added: "Ministers must break the logjam where it exists and secure the Bali Mandate the world is crying out for."

All countries need to commit to do more and launch formal negotiations on meaningful reductions in carbon dioxide emissions. Real political momentum has built up over the course of this year, opening the door for ministers to strike a deal that is good for people and nature.

Indonesia, the host of the UN climate conference, gathered yesterday 40 ministers attending the UN climate conference here to discuss unresolved issues left over by senior officials.

One of the sticking points that slowed the negotiations, according to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer, included the rejection of several countries, especially the United States, to adopt emission reduction targets for developed countries, which range between 25 percent to 40 percent by 2020.

While emphasizing its support for the creation of the Bali Roadmap in 2009 for advancing negotiations toward a post-2012 arrangement, the US reiterated its rejection to the inclusion of any figures in the roadmap.

Developing countries grouped under G-77 expressed their disappointment with the developed countries, which they accused of deliberately slowing the negotiation process in the area of transfer of technology and deforestation issues, and hence hampered the whole negotiation.

The scientific data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) clearly show that action to reduce emissions must be taken now.

The two-week climate meeting which gathered over 10,000 delegates from over 180 countries, as well as observers from intergovernmental and nongovernmental organization will conclude tomorrow.

Established in 1961, WWF is a global environmental conservation organization.