UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon yesterday played up the December climate summit in Copenhagen by saying it could be a success even without yielding a legally binding agreement on reducing pollution.

He urged the 190 participating nations to reach political deals - which diplomats said means nonbinding agreements - on ambitious goals with the details to be worked out later.

Ban's climate adviser Janos Pasztor this week lowered expectations for the UN meeting on global warming in the Danish capital when he said a legally binding agreement would have to come out of talks held after Copenhagen.