OBAMA FOR USA

A day of frenzied diplomacy by President Obama at the Copenhagen climate talks yielded a largely toothless deal with several key nations that punts the toughest negotiations months or years down the road.

Before hurrying back to Washington to beat a looming snowstorm, Obama tried to put the best face on the underachieving results of the UN's 193-nation global warming talks.

"We feel confident we're moving in the direction of a significant accord," Obama said. "It will not be legally binding, but what it will do is allow for each country to show to the world what they are doing," Obama said.

Obama met twice during the day with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, but failed to get Beijing to agree that UN-approved inspectors should verify that major industrialized nations are cutting their greenhouse gases.

"I think we should still drive toward something that is more binding than it is," Obama said. "But that was not achievable at this conference."

Scientists say man-made global warming requires a global solution, or else climate change will unleash plagues of floods, droughts and rising sea levels that will swamp coastal areas and islands in the future.

Obama negotiated the agreement with the leaders of China, India, Brazil and South Africa. It was to be formally voted on at the end of the conference. Under its terms:

* Major industrialized nations agreed to cut emissions by between 14% and 25% by 2020.
* Wealthy nations will pay $100billion a year by 2020 to poor countries to finance their efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
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The nations set a goal of limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

A New Zealand delegate, Adrian Macey called it "a modest deal."

"I see Kyoto [a 1997 treaty] as a first step," Macey said. "This is another first step, a global first step."

As he prepared to leave, Obama acknowledged deep distrust is blocking further progress.

"It is still going to require more work and more confidence-building and greater trust between emerging countries, the least developed countries, and the developed countries before I think you are going to see another legally binding treaty signed," Obama said.

The trip was not a total wash for the President. Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev were "quite close" to a new arms deal to reduce nuclear stockpiles. BY Kenneth R. Bazinet
DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU