Countries negotiating a new climate change deal are unlikely to strike a detailed agreement and are now primarily negotiating the status of future talks, a Russian expert said on Tuesday.

"Talks have begun and the main issue is what the legal status of future talks will be. But it is already clear that an agreement, subject to ratification within each state, will not be signed here," Alexei Kokorin, the head of WWF Russia Climate and Energy Program, said on the sidelines of the Copenhagen conference.

The expert told RIA Novosti said that a group of developed countries, including Russia, are in favor of a comprehensive binding agreement which would include all countries. A group of developing nations argues that the Kyoto protocol should be extended, with a separate agreement for countries which are not parties to the protocol.

"In addition, the U.S [stance] is still unclear, as they would certainly not join the Kyoto protocol," Kokorin said.

He added that one of the positive results of the forum was South Africa's decision to reduce emissions by 34% over the next 10 years.

The European Union also announced it would reduce emissions by 20% by 2020. India earlier offered to cut emissions by up to 25% during the same period.

U.K. Foreign Secretary David Miliband on Monday supported a European Union commitment to further reduce greenhouse emissions to 30%.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Russia would target a 25% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2020 instead of 15% cuts projected earlier.

U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to announce a 17% emissions cut at the climate summit.

COPENHAGEN, December 8 (RIA Novosti)