Climate change experts and negotiators from Brazil, South Africa, India and China, the ‘Basic’ grouping, are meeting in Durban over the next two days, to discuss a common negotiating position for the 17th conference of the parties (COP17) in December.

The meeting would be followed by a Ministerial meeting on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29, which would be attended by Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa, Chinese National Development and Reform vice-Minister Xie Zhenhua, Indian Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh, and Brazilian Environment Ministry executive secretary Francisco Gaetani.

This would be the second Basic meeting since COP16 was held in Cancün, Mexico, in December 2010. The first was held in India in February.

The Department of Environmental Affairs said that the Basic meeting sought to build on the discussions of the February meeting and inform the countries’ strategy for forthcoming United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meetings, and other strategic meetings such as those of the Major Economies Forum.

The next UNFCCC conference was scheduled for June 6 to June 17, in Bonn, Germany, where negotiators would discuss progress towards the Durban COP17 meeting from November 29 to December 9.

South Africa was also a part of the Africa Grouping at climate change negotiations, and it was unclear whether or not these negotiating parties would have conflicting views.