20091214

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - African nations agreed to resume U.N. climate talks in Copenhagen on Monday after a half-day suspension, accusing rich countries of trying to kill the existing Kyoto Protocol.

"We're going back," Pa Ousman Jarju from the delegation of Gambia, told Reuters after a meeting of the African group.

The protest held up a session due to start at 1030 GMT, just four days before a summit of 110 leaders aims to agree a U.N. pact to combat global warming that could bring more heatwaves, floods and rising sea levels.

He said that the Danish hosts gave assurances that there would be more focus on African nations' demands for an extension of the Kyoto Protocol, the existing pact for curbing emissions of greenhouse gases.

Monday's session of the 192-nation meeting was to seek ways to end deadlock on core issues as part of a sweeping new deal meant to limit global warming and rein in extreme weather patterns that scientists see intensifying in coming decades.

Australian Climate Minister Penny Wong accused the African nations of staging a "walkout" and said it was "not the time for procedural games" so close to the end of the December 7-18 meeting of more than 20,000 participants.

African nations accuse rich nations of trying to sideline the U.N.'s Kyoto Protocol, a treaty obliging almost 40 developed nations to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 5.2 percent below 1990 levels by 2008-12.

The original outline of talks for Monday "means that we are going to accept the death of the only one legally binding instrument that exists now," said Kamel Djemouai, an Algerian official who heads the African group.