Denmark welcomes Obama's later arrival to UN climate summit

Copenhagen - US President Barack Obama's announcement that he will attend the final stages of the UN climate change summit was welcomed Saturday by Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, whose country hosts the summit. "President Obama's strong focus on climate change and his global leadership are key for the Copenhagen talks," Rasmussen said.

The summit aimed at securing an international pact on the reduction of greenhouse gases opens on Monday and runs to December 18.

Obama was originally set to join the summit on Wednesday, one day before he receives the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo.

His decision to move his trip to the end of the session was an expression of "the growing political momentum to reach an ambitious climate deal in Copenhagen," Rasmussen said.

According to Rasmussen, 103 heads of state and government plan to attend the Copenhagen talks.

Swedish Environment Minister Andreas Carlgren, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, was also pleased with the US president's decision but predicted "the talks will be very tough."

"President Obama's attendance at the end of the conference shows that the US realizes that the decisions will be made in the final phase," he said on Swedish breakfast television.

Development and aid organization Oxfam International and environment organization Greenpeace also welcomed Obama's announcement.

"President Obama will now be in the right place, at the right time with the right people," Oxfam spokesperson Antonio Hill said.

Martin Kaiser, Greenpeace International's political climate coordinator, said, "Now that he (Obama) has moved the date, he needs to move his targets and his financial contribution to be in line with what climate science demands."